Love Live! Space idol project
by sephaaay
Summary: The Koprulu Sector is heading towards full-scale war yet again. But this war is only a prelude to an even greater conflict that will decide the fate of the entire universe. Action must be taken, in the form of...song and dance? Basically the entirety of Starcraft 2, featuring our lovable school idols. Only, they're not school idols. Will be divided into 3 major arcs.
1. Arc 1: Wings of Liberty - Chapter 1

_Joeyray's Bar  
_ _Riksville, Mar Sara_

The bar was empty, as usual. There was no one else around; even Ray, the bar's owner, was nowhere to be seen – although a security camera tracking the movements of anyone who enters, whether a newcomer or a well-known patron, suggests his presence somewhere in the building. The old jukebox playing another rebel song and the TV with a bullet hole also suggested the presence of a customer or customers earlier (and probably didn't like whatever was on the news).

Which suited Nico Yazawa just fine. Happy hour with the other patrons was fine and all, but more often than not she enjoyed a few bouts of relative solitude here and there. Those moments were few and far between, considering her career.

The current song ended, and the jukebox quickly played another. This time it was a song she was intimately familiar with. The music was lighthearted, and the beat relatively fast, but when the singing began, she smiled a small, proud smile. It was her voice, of course. She was a fairly young professional singer, and she would have been able to make it big in the Terran Dominion had it not been for her life choices.

Nico always dreamed of being a professional idol. Living the glamorous and sparkling life, with the spotlight almost always on her, dancing on-stage and being on holo boards all over the Dominion, including the ones in her hometown of Backwater Station. An ill-fitting name for the hometown of a super idol, she still thought to this day, but she had hopes that her stardom would revitalize the station, and maybe get it renamed into something much prettier as well. Maybe Nico-Nii Station.

However, growing up under the Dominion's heavy hand quickly changed her perspectives. The Dominion established their presence through fear, and forced labor and conscription took away many of the people she'd known growing up. Even her own father... She'll never forget that night, when it was just her and her mother still awake, with Nico's two younger sisters and little brother already sound asleep in their room. The two had been waiting anxiously for days: Nico's father was forced to work at the mining outpost to the north last week. Though they were assured that his contract was only for one excavation job, it was a dubious promise, and Nico and her mother weren't exactly assured. They kept track of the news every day, and waited every night, holding on to a wish that he would come back home in the dead of night, safe and sound. Eventually, they did receive news, but not the sort they wanted: Nico's father was reported to have died in a laser drill accident.

The truth, however, was worse, and was what prompted Nico to reject the Dominion altogether: her father's contract had been done on the day he died, but he was being forced to work there permanently; in protest, he tried to sneak away, but was shot by Marine guards when he was spotted trying to get past the outpost's entrance. The news was delivered to them by a neighbor who successfully escaped days later, and their grief slowly turned into anger.

Nico eventually joined an underground resistance group, where she used her voice to contribute to a collection of revolutionary songs which was hoped to inspire civilians in all settlements of Mar Sara to rise up against the Dominion. Of course, she also insisted on getting combat training, because she wanted a piece of the people who had her father killed.

It was during that time when her psionic potential manifested itself, at first during routine marksmanship training. She liked to imagine that the targets she were shooting at were Dominion Marines, and it lit her up whenever she started firing. But that time, she noticed that the others on the range were acting unusually angry at the targets as well, attacking them with far longer bursts to the center of the head and moving toward the targets while shooting. Then, she started hearing voices in her head, quickly realizing that they were the voices of the others around her.

But her abilities really became obvious during her first mission to escort some smugglers carrying supplies for the group. It was supposedly a fairly safe mission with minimal Dominion contact, and it was, for the most part: only a small unit of four Marines were present, which would be a challenge for her and the other three escorts, but manageable. It turned out that the other three were unnecessary: as the firefight began, Nico fired a shot in each of the three, penetrating their CMC powered combat suits and downing them instantly. The last one started to run back to his post and call for reinforcements, only to be lifted up in the air and forcibly thrown back down to the ground, actually cracking his suit.

Nico was understandably confused at what she'd done afterwards, while her teammates were left in awe. She was the toast of the bar that night, and, the following day, was tested for her psionic ability. She was rated 9 on the Psi Index, making her almost on par with Sarah Kerrigan before her infestation. She was still very much untrained, though she was eager to tap into her potential and control it. It was eventually decided that her would be transported to the Umojan Protectorate once Mar Sara was free, to have her trained as a Shadowguard: the Umojan covert agents, the equivalent of Ghosts (but without the associated limiters and control protocols). After her training, she eventually plans on taking the fight to the Dominion itself, and once that was done, she looked forward to retiring and becoming a full-time idol. That idol dream became the light that helped her find her way back whenever the darkness of her anger threatened to take over her, and helped keep her untrained psionic ability in check.

But first things first. Mar Sara needed to be liberated, and the first step was about to happen. She'd received word that Raynor's Raiders were about to plan an operation, and that she and her group would be assisting in liberating Backwater Station. After finishing her drink, she left money on the counter, picked up the case containing her C-10 Mk. VI canister rifle, and left the bar as her first ever recorded song faded out.

 _Mar Sara City_

At a more populated bar in the capital, an accomplished duo sang in front of a crowd. Their song was about hope, freedom, and reaching for one's dreams, and it seemed quite appropriate for their audience, considering that this particular bar, like the more run-down one in Riksville, served patrons who were dissidents of the Dominion.

Honoka Kousaka and Kotori Minami had been a singing duo for over a year now. Honoka was the first who pitched the idea to her longtime best friend, and, as Kotori always did, went along with her enthusiastically. They became local celebrities, especially with the themes of their songs: the Dominion's dictatorial practices on the fringe world – often backed by propaganda, Marines, and armored weapon platforms – ensured a constant wave of both despair and resentment brimming among the populace, and the songs kept the sentiment alive and burning, as well as helping the people hold on to their hope that liberation would come; at the same time, the light and patriotic-sounding nature of the songs, coupled with the sweet and bubbly voices of the two female songbirds, meant that they were allowed past the Dominion's strict censors and heard across the city, even transmitted via radio across all other settlements on Mar Sara when they debuted their first mini-album.

Which was a part of their plans when they started singing. They both loved to sing, of course – and Kotori would willingly follow Honoka in almost any of her pursuits – but another reason was to aid in the eventual revolution in Mar Sara. Aside from the support their songs give, they also distributed most of their earnings among the rebel groups in the city, and they also secretly worked as medics for the most prominent group in the region: Raynor's Raiders.

The people were ready to begin. They only needed the long-awaited spark, and when they heard about the Raiders getting ready to mobilize and liberate Backwater Station, they knew it was time.

"Thank you, everyone," Kotori said to the audience right after the news was announced. "We hope you enjoyed our music."

"Now it's time for our next performance, featuring all of us here!" Honoka declared. "Let's do our best, okay?" The crowd raised their fists and drinks with a cheer. "Let's fight on!"

It would be Honoka and Kotori's last singing performance for a while, but they would be working for a better future where they'll be able to sing much happier songs. They (along with everyone else in the bar) readied themselves for an all-out revolt.

 _Special Operations Dropship  
Low orbit above Mar Sara_

"Exiting low planetary orbit. Fifty minutes before touchdown. Atmospheric entry in ten minutes. Heat shield integrity at 100%."

The two young women within the dropship's transport bay merely nodded at the announcement from the pilot. Touchdown was expected to be smooth: it was their fourth special ops dropship insertion, and they've worked with the pilot twice before.

For Umojan Covert Operation Agents A102194E and S031595U, their current mission was relatively easy: infiltrate Mar Sara City and assist in the revolution against the Terran Dominion. Specifically, they were to decapitate the head of the local Dominion government and sabotage Dominion military installations. It was not their first 'wet work' operation, but the situation required that their presence should not be felt in any way. The Dominion should not know they were here, nor should they suspect any form of Umojan assistance at all, as the Umojan Protectorate did not wish to openly challenge the Dominion, nor do they have the strength to do so. Yet.

'Another covert destabilization operation,' both thought. They were both psionics with a Psi Index rating of 8.5, so they were able to communicate with each other via telepathy. It was a convenient way of communications, which also allowed them to lighten their loadouts by forgoing communication equipment. Then again, with their radio silence orders, they wouldn't have been able to use conventional comms anyway.

A102194E found a mirror and removed her ghost visor. The visor provided tactical intelligence on battlefield conditions with its fairly powerful scanner system, tracking targets around the agent's position as well as providing a map of the surrounding area. The visor also got in the way of the agent's long golden hair, which she then tied in a ponytail.

"Equipment check, Umi?" she asked the other agent.

S031595U, real name Umi Sonoda, had just finished what her partner had asked. "All green, Eli," she replied. "C20A rifles are properly sighted, loaded and safed. And, of course, my Hostile Environment Suit and ghost visor are 100% working and undamaged. What about yours?"

A102194E, real name Eli Ayase, smiled at Umi as she continued to adjust her hair. Once satisfied, she replaced her visor. "My suit and visor are also good, thank you for asking." She then turned around to face Umi. "You should probably tie your hair as well."

"I don't think anyone will be able to get close enough to pull my hair around. Nor will I let them."

Though Eli was a year older, the two of them became shadowguard agents at the same time. Throughout their training, they displayed an impressive synergy which almost felt natural, prompting their trainers to assign them with each other at the end of their training. They've participated in all their missions together, and even off-duty it was a rare occurrence to see one of them without the other.

This mission felt like just another to them, because of that. It would be tense once they're down on the field, they knew, but as long as they stuck to their training and trusted in each other, they should be able to pull it off cleanly.

"Entering Mar Sara atmosphere," the pilot announced. "Brace yourselves for re-entry, girls."

After securing their equipment, the two sat back down and secured themselves. The dropship shook slightly as they started piercing through the planet's lower thermosphere. It reminded Umi of one particularly violent storm on Umoja during a field training exercise...

" _Aitai no_ Summer," Umi sang just loudly enough to be heard by Eli, then looked at her expectantly. Her voice was surprisingly deep and powerful for someone of her age.

Eli chuckled silently. She found Umi writing something right after that exercise. It turned out to be a song in an old Earth language, which surprised the blonde (and embarrassed the bluenette greatly, to the former's amusement). Umi was surprised as well when she found out that Eli understood what she was writing, finding out afterwards that they shared a heritage. The next day, Eli caught Umi singing it, and after waiting for her embarrassment to pass, sang along with her. Since then, it was a little song that they shared together during private moments, such as the one they were currently in. _"Kotoshi no_ Summer," Eli followed.

" _Anata no watashi wa hitotsu no_ story," they both sang in unison. They continued singing as the dropship continued making the descent towards a marked area on the outskirts of Mar Sara City, where a small resistance unit was waiting for them.

* * *

 _Talematros, Shakuras_

The Twilight Council is the seat of the Unified Protoss, the Daelaam. After the fall of Aiur, the Khalai became refugees in their own planet and sought sanctuary. With open arms, the Nerazim – the Protoss exiles who were banished for rejecting the Khala – welcomed their brethren through the only warp gate connecting the Protoss homeworld of Aiur to Shakuras, the haven of the Dark Templar. Safety both without and within was still an issue for both Protoss kindreds, as Zerg managed to pursue and infest parts of the planet, and treachery from hard-liners within both the Khalai and Nerazim threatened to shatter the already-tenuous alliance of the reunited Protoss. But they've endured, and both Templar and Dark Templar now stand as the Daelaam, working hand-in-hand to restore the Protoss legacy and eventually retake Aiur.

The council itself was not in session, as almost all members are supervising various sectors across the Nerazim capital city – specifically, supervising the construction of the ships of the Golden Armada, with which they would invade Aiur and reclaim it for the Protoss. Thus, save for a few Sentry drones patrolling within the council building, no one else would be able to hear the beautiful tones of an ancient Khalai instrument within one of the rooms.

All Protoss are natural psionic users. Their powers can be manifested in several ways, from subtle telepathic communications to spectacular and devastating psionic storms. The particular Protoss behind the instrument uses these same abilities to produce the music of her own creation, echoing across the empty hallways of the building. She was trained in the art of war, of course, as was her descendants before her – it was their duty as a people. However, no one can deny that such peaceful pursuits are also valuable, nor would she permit anyone to deny her.

She was, in fact, a well-known face among the Daelaam for these talents...despite her appearance.

The Protoss kindreds are usually easily identifiable through the color of the energy they wield: the Khalai's energies glowed bluish-white, like a particularly hot and bright star; the Nerazim's, channeling the controlled energies of the Void through them, glowed green; and the Tal'darim's, fanatics of the xel'naga who wield the pure energy of the Void, burned red. Other colors have been observed, but these three colors are generally the most common to be encountered among each Protoss kindred.

Anyone unfamiliar with the figure playing the instrument would, then, most likely report an incursion by some Tal'darim heretic. However, despite Maki's bright red eyes and psionic energies, she is completely of Khalai descent, and as a High Templar, she wears her people's golden armor with pride. Her bright red energies were unknown in origin, but it didn't affect her life greatly, aside from differing her aesthetically.

And making her feel a constant isolation which she'd felt since her younger years. Despite being a respected High Templar _and_ a musician of great talent, most of her fellow Protoss are still wary of her because of the appearance of her energies. However, that same isolation was also responsible for her skill, as the near lack of anyone to bother her, despite the psionic bond between all Khalai known as the Khala, allowed her to hone her psionic ability in relative peace.

A Sentry passed by on the hallway outside, its blue scanner beam sweeping the hallway and briefly shining into the room through the translucent door. The Sentry eventually opened the door and scanned the room from outside, and the beam passed by her, but since she was not considered a threat, nothing else happened, and the Sentry continued on its way, with the door closing as it went out of sight. Maki continued to play through it all.

"I thought you'd be here, Maki-chan," a quiet female voice said beside where Maki was sitting, and the red Templar was sufficiently startled that she quickly jumped to her feet, almost stumbling on the chair, and let out a yelp in surprise. The intruder suddenly appeared out of thin air, raising her hands in front of her and waving them frantically while her green eyes flared with worry. "M-Maki-chan! I-I-I'm sorry – I d-didn't—"

"Hanayo, I thought I told you not to do that!" Maki immediately chided once she recognized who it was. Her shoulders relaxed and she shook her head afterwards. "I thought I told you and Rin that you're always welcome here."

Hanayo scratched the back of her head and giggled sheepishly. "It won't happen again." Hanayo was a young Nerazim, being at around the same age as Maki. It wasn't unusual for a Khalai and Nerazim to become friends, despite the recent incursion by Nerazim rebels who opposed the presence of the Khalai on Shakuras. In fact, the two met in this very room: the Nerazim who had just recently passed her Shadow Walk (despite being frightened during the entire ordeal) and was testing one of her newfound abilities as a true Dark Templar, and the Khalai who had recently ascended as a true High Templar (to the immense pride of her mother). Maki was just playing the instrument as usual when Hanayo entered the room, hidden from sight and drawn in by the music. When Maki eventually stopped, Hanayo clapped on impulse, surprising Maki for the first time, though Maki drew a psionic blade out in response that time. The red glow greatly scared Hanayo out of her cloaking, and almost broke down when Maki eventually withdrew her blade and apologized. The second time around, Hanayo announced her presence before entering, and Maki, after being praised for her music, allowed her to stay.

Unusually for a Dark Templar (or a Protoss, even), Hanayo was extremely timid. Soft-spoken and reserved most of the time, it was amazing that she even managed to pass her Shadow Walk – and now that she passed, some of those who know her fear that her new abilities would only make these traits even more pronounced. Of course, she did have a very capable mentor who guided her efforts patiently and gracefully when she decided to take the Shadow Walk. But even then, that decision was only made possible thanks to her friendship with another Khalai, back in her childhood.

"Kayo-chin! Maki-chan!" an energetic female voice called from outside, using a nickname of her own creation for the Nerazim. Footsteps were heard as well, along with a yellow glow along the wall which became brighter as the steps became louder. Finally, the source of the commotion approached the door and opened it. She raised a bright yellow psionic blade on her arm up like a torch as she checked the room, and her yellow eyes sparkled even more brightly than her blade as she recognized the two.

"There you two are!" She immediately disengaged her psi blade and pounced onto the Dark Templar with an enthusiastic hug.

"R-Rin-chan! Careful!" Hanayo warned.

Rin only giggled as she then set her sights onto her fellow Khalai and Templar. "Maki-chaaaan!" She started to pounce onto Maki as well, but was stopped by some near-transparent barrier before she could wrap her hands around. "Ow! Force fields?! That's not fair!"

Maki seemingly rolled her eyes. "They come in handy for these situations, at least." The field eventually dissipated, and this time Maki didn't try to resist Rin's hug right after, though she still grunted in irritation. Hanayo only giggled. It was so typical of Rin. The two had known each other since childhood, and Rin was certainly special; not only because of the color of her own energy, but also because of the intensity of her dominant emotion. Zealots were well-known to wield unbridled rage as a weapon against the enemies of their kind, but only Rin was the one who displayed unbridled excitement. It had the effect of immensely energizing her fellow Zealots as well during training, thanks to the Khala – although her enthusiasm also makes it look like they enjoy battle a little _too_ much. Regardless, this unique psionic 'aura' she has made her a very valuable warrior, and after her first engagement with the Zerg, she was promoted to Praetor. This same energy was what gave Hanayo the confidence to walk the Dark Templar path, along with Rin's own encouraging statements.

Eventually, Rin got to meet Maki as well, once again in the same room they were in right now. Hanayo came to visit Maki once again as the latter was playing the instrument as well, and allowed Rin to tag along. As Hanayo entered, she was surprised that her usually-energetic friend was acting so...calmly. Rin later explained that the music made her feel relaxed and at peace. This also meant that Maki was unable to defend against Rin jumping onto her when the music stopped.

Over the course of their visits, the other two acquired a love of music as well, and it became something the three of them had in common. Every now and then, the two would hum along, and even sway along. Rin even had some energy to dance to the music one time, and Hanayo followed. Maki, on her part, felt happy that she had found two true friends, and that she made them happy with what she does.

These moments of peace would not last, after all. Aiur awaits them, and only when their home was back in their hands would there be genuine peace.

 _Outskirts of Talematros_

There were several caves on the outskirts of Shakuras. Some were hiding grounds for feral Zerg, who were formerly of the Zerg Swarm when they followed the Protoss to Shakuras. Most lay empty.

One particular cave, however, was considered sacred ground. This cave had been Dark Prelate Zeratul's place of meditation, where he honed his skill in the dark arts of the Nerazim. However, with Zeratul's exile since Matriarch Raszagal's death, someone else had taken his place within. It was, of course, with Zeratul's blessing.

The successor was of the Lenassa clan, which was evident from the purple glow of her psionic energy. She was also Zeratul's first apprentice, to whom Zeratul entrusted the title of Prelate before he left Shakuras with a handful of other disciples.

She, like her mentor, was a mystic. With Zeratul's steady guidance, she acquired near-complete control over the energies of the Void, allowing her to manipulate them at will. It was great power that she wields, and she wields them with utmost care and respect. Like Zeratul as well, this mastery of the Void also grants her visions during meditation by peering into the Void itself. Some visions were blurry, ambiguous, and unclear, though at the moment she sought not to pursue them yet – her mentor's self-exile was driven by the need to make one such vision clear.

Other visions can be crystal-clear...but they were mostly inconsequential. She did not even have to move, or even open her eyes, to know what – rather, who – was coming. "How goes the progress of the Golden Armada, Matriarch?"

Matriarch Vorazun, Raszagal's daughter and natural successor, emerged from the shadows behind the Prelate. "The time draws closer, Prelate Nozomi," she replied.

Nozomi finally stood, and turned to face the Matriarch. "I see. And you will not be departing with me and our other brothers and sisters?"

"The defense of Shakuras is my primary concern, as you well know." She put her hand on Nozomi's shoulder. "And I trust that you will be more than capable of leading our warriors in my stead."

"So, what brings you to this place?"

"The council will convene again on the next sunrise. I would like to have your presence with me."

Nozomi bowed. "I would be more than honored, Matriarch." Vorazun left afterwards, leaving Nozomi in solitude once again. Sunrise was still a while away, so Nozomi could continue to have a few extra moments of meditation. She sat down right after and focused her mind. Once again, an unclear vision entered her mind.

This time, however, it was accompanied by...music. She has never heard it before, but it was calming and made her feel at peace. 'What does this vision hold?' she wondered with a small smile.

* * *

 _A/N: Okay, so I don't really know where I'm going with this. This strange crossover just came along in my mind, and I wrote about it on impulse. I might continue this, probably. I need more ideas on how to twist it along._

 _But there you have it. School idols...in goddamn **Starcraft!**_

 _I don't own Love Live!, Starcraft, nor the characters and other intellectual property associated with either franchise._


	2. Arc 1: Wings of Liberty - Chapter 2

_Unknown location_

"...wh...what..."

Darkness. Stillness. Tiredness. And... an odd warmth.

These were the first things to register in Nico's mind as she regained consciousness. Her memory, much like her vision, was blurry, and painfully slow to return. In fact, she didn't feel like opening her eyes at all, so tired her entire body felt that even trying to move her eyes through half-opened eyelids sapped her strength. And what she saw didn't justify the effort: all she saw was darkness.

Her eyelids felt heavy again, and she let them close, so she could focus more on her mind, to make herself remember what had happened prior to this moment. The painful throbbing in her head made it more difficult, but she slowly managed to piece her memories together...

'Ah...'

* * *

 _Outside Backwater Station_  
 _6 hours earlier_

Nico Yazawa was in a very messy jam, along with the rest of her group. After the liberation of Backwater Station from Dominion forces the previous day, she and her group of Mar Sara Separatists went along to assist in the raid on White Rock Base, which Nico clearly remembered as the mining outpost where her father had been sent to, and tried to escape from. The word was that miners being forcibly shipped from the station to that base to dig up some alien artifact. Nico was going to enjoy picking that base apart and killing every Dominion Marine that crossed her sights – every one of them looked the same to her, so it didn't matter if none of them killed her father. They were part of the organization that ordered his death.

She and her comrades did flawlessly, for the most part. Along with liberating the civilian miners, the attackers also 'liberated' a strange alien artifact which had been the reason for the forced labor. Raynor's Raiders quickly took charge of the artifact, having been contracted by some research facility that didn't seem to be on good terms with the Dominion. Which was fine for everyone involved: any kind of damage done to the Dominion was a good thing, and the payment for the contract was huge. There was a huge party that night which even spilled on over to the next day, until alien signatures were detected heading for the planet. It was the threat they all feared.

The Zerg.

These alien monstrosities had been dormant for years, after Kerrigan repelled a combined force of Terran and Protoss fleets. However, recent reports had indicated that the Zerg started to mobilize with terrifying speed, and were heading straight for Mar Sara.

Everyone knew it, prepared for it, but also tried to keep it out of their minds, hoping that the Zerg Swarm would bypass their location. But the Zerg were not known for ignoring any prospective worlds, especially since the minerals on Mar Sara were especially valuable. There would be no hope of defending against the Swarm even with Dominion support, so – even though it was painful for them to abandon the home which they recently started freeing – evacuation was the only option.

The Zerg rained down from the skies on living drop pods, or sacs. Remnants of the Dominion security force quickly fell, and so civilians in all settlements were hurried along into giant colony transport ships, hoping to get away before the Zerg overwhelmed the planet.

Nico Yazawa was at home, helping her mother pack their things up for the evacuation. Outside was an armored personnel carrier, standing by to collect her family and other residents, and transport them to the evac site at Backwater Station. Nico, however, would be going on foot to guard the convoy, which worried her mother greatly, but Nico assured her that she would be alright. Her rifle wasn't just a toy, after all.

However, the situation turned awry when Zerg sacs began raining down right behind them, on the outskirts of the station. As the first wave of Zerglings rushed towards the convoy, Nico and the other defenders held their ground, hoping to buy time for the APC as it approached the station. They (along with other Separatist squads) holed up in now-abandoned homes, hoping for relief from the Raiders.

Within the APC, Nico's mother was in near-panic. She witnessed her eldest and a few others break away from the convoy to combat the incoming Zerg, and the last thing she witnessed was a Zergling pouncing onto her daughter and trying to rip her apart as she held it off with her rifle. A helpful medic tried to assure her that Nico would be alright. She was, after all, one of the Separatists' best.

The pockets of Separatist resistance were eventually rescued by the Raiders, and, as the last colony ship took off from the station, they and all remaining evacuees made their daring escape on the Hyperion, Jim Raynor's Behemoth-class Battlecruiser and the command ship of Raynor's Raiders.

But not Nico's. Her squadmates had fallen. Their position was too far away, and there were too many Zerg between them and the station for them to count on any relief. The only thing they were able to do was take out as many Zerg as they could until they were eventually overwhelmed. Nico held out for a surprisingly long time, with her psionic potential being unleashed onto the Zerg – but as she was still untrained, she could only lift up her attackers and fling them with great force. Each time she did, however, a lot of her energy was spent, and when she finally felt too weak to even pull out her backup pistol, it was too late. The Zerg were fast approaching, and as everything slowly faded into black, only one thought echoed in her mind: _"Mama...I'm sorry."_

* * *

 _Unknown Location_

She felt weak again. 'Even digging up memories felt tiring, huh...?' she thought, as her consciousness started slipping again. She tried to resist, but the throbbing in her head made it hard, and as she decided to give into it, she felt that it wasn't just her head that was throbbing...but everything around her...

...like a steady heartbeat. As if she was in something...living.

As her mind started blacking out again, she let out one last thought:

 _"Mama...help me..."_

* * *

 _Hyperion Cantina_  
 _2 Hours after warp jump from Mar Sara_

"Nico!" Mrs. Yazawa suddenly shouted, to the surprise of the other people trying to console her moments earlier: the leader of the Mar Sara Separatists, who was the first to recognize Nico's budding potential and made the recommendation to send her to Umoja after the liberation of Mar Sara; the three rebels who witnessed Nico's first display of psionic power; and Commander Jim Raynor himself, who was drinking with mercenary recruiter Graven Hill nearby when he wandered along to see what was up.

Mrs. Yazawa was drinking and crying here when the leader and the other three spotted her, hoping to console her and promise that her death would not be in vain. Raynor came over a while later – it wasn't the first time he saw a mother cry for her child, especially one who died fighting against the Zerg, and he felt that he should also take some responsibility as he was unable to send a force to relieve her group, even though it was an impossibility at that point, considering that there was the threat of the advancing Zerg spine crawlers moving ever closer towards the bridges leading into the station. As the distraught mother continued drinking, feeling numb and deaf to the consolations of the people around her, she heard a very familiar voice whisper to her. It should have been impossible...yet she knew her daughter's psionic potential. She knew that she had that kind of ability – in fact, her numbing depression earlier was caused by hearing Nico's supposedly last words to her.

Yet...that whisper... "Nico...I heard her..." she stammered out. "My daughter..she's still alive...!"

The others were surprised...except for Jim. He looked sad...and dark.

"If she is," Jim said, "then I'm afraid I have bad news for you."

* * *

On the cantina's stage, Honoka Kousaka and Kotori Minami were singing again. With the liberation of their home planet interrupted by the Zerg Swarm's invasion, which was just one part of a multi-pronged all-out attack on the Dominion itself, morale dropped for several of the citizens and resistance fighters who are now part of the Hyperion. To keep spirits up, the two sang songs of hope, including a song Kotori recently penned, titled "Free Bird", while they also wondered what their group's new steps would be.

Retaking Mar Sara was still an impossibility at this point, and all on board knew it. They needed to gather strength if they wanted to do so, and for that, they'll need all the allies they can get. The plan was for them to pick up contracts as a temporary mercenary force, with monetary rewards going towards upgrading their arsenal and the ship itself. As for the evacuees who wouldn't stay (and couldn't, as the Hyperion was overloaded with people now and wouldn't be able to sustain them all for long), they would be heading over to the Umojan Protectorate, where they'll resettle indefinitely. Most would only be staying until Mar Sara was retaken, however.

As the two were singing they noticed the earlier outburst by Mrs. Yazawa, as well as the conversation that took place afterwards. And they, too, heard the psionic broadcast of Nico Yazawa, who they heard to be a young girl only a year older than them and had tremendous psionic potential, as well as a pretty good singing voice. The two of them were actually psionics as well, with ratings of 5. However, since they managed to avoid being "recruited" for the Dominion's Ghost program, and because they didn't feel like they would be good as frontline fighters, they opted to become medics instead when they joined the Raiders.

They were looking forward to meeting Nico, as her psionic potential was well-known in their circles at this point. They also knew of her first (and only) song, and they wanted to ask her if she would be interested in collaborating with them. However, as Jim quietly retold the story of another girl with a similar degree of psionic ability, the two weren't so sure if they would ever meet her, much less under friendly circumstances.

Huddled in a corner of the cantina, Shadowguard agents Eli Ayase and Umi Sonoda were present and nearby as well. They, too, heard the psionic broadcast, as well as the conversation afterwards. They knew Nico as well; in fact, their objective after assisting in the liberation of Mar Sara was to make contact with the gifted psionic, to escort her and her family to Umoja so that Nico could be inducted into the Shadowguard Academy. A psionic with her level of potential rarely appeared, and she would have become the greatest agent the Academy ever produced.

But they knew about Sarah Kerrigan. They knew what happened to her when the Dominion – then-rebel group 'Sons of Korhal' – left her at the mercy of the Zerg Swarm on Tarsonis, years ago. When she re-emerged, she became one of the most powerful beings in the system: the Queen of Blades, and currently the infamous leader of the Zerg Swarm. They had little doubt about what Kerrigan would do.

And they feared what would happen if Nico was unleashed into the universe.

Their thoughts were shaken back when the singing continued. They'd only noticed the voices right now, thinking earlier that they were just coming from the jukebox or TV mounted on the ceiling, and so distracted they were at what had become of their supposedly easy mission. When they looked around, they noticed the stage, with two cute girls singing on it.

"Those two have very good voices, don't you think?" Eli said to Umi. The song made both of them feel relaxed, but much more so for Umi than her partner.

"They do," Umi said, fully taken in by the two on-stage.

"Makes me wonder if we could sing on-stage as well..." Umi nodded absently to this as she continued to stare at them, as if hypnotized. Eli noticed this, and a hint of a smirk appeared on her face. "And don't you think they look very cute as well?" she whispered.

"They...are..." Umi whispered. It took a few seconds for her own words to register into her mind, and once they did, her entire face started burning up in embarrassment. "W-Wait, Eli, w-what did you mean by that?!"

Eli couldn't help but laugh at her suddenly flustered partner. "Oh, you know what I mean, my dear Umi," she teased. "You were so enthralled by those two that I thought they had put you under mind control!"

"T-They wouldn't do such a thing...!"

"And why would you think so, hm?" Umi's face became even redder as she tried to think of a response. Eli laughed a little harder, this time with some tears in her eyes, and patted Umi's shoulder. "I know they couldn't do it even if they tried, don't worry. Still..." she wiped her eyes and breathed deeply to control herself, "you seemed so unlike yourself earlier on. Did you, by any chance, fall in love?"

"L-L-Love?" Umi stuttered. "I-I—H-How would you know that?! A-And how could I fall in love with a girl...l-let alone t-two—"

Eli covered her mouth with a hand this time as she tried to control her laughter. "Even without psionic abilities, you're so easy to read." The two looked back to the stage as Honoka and Kotori bowed to the clapping audience, then made their way to...

...their table.

Umi was petrified. 'Eli they're heading to our table,' she told her partner psionically in rapid panic. 'Oh my god whatdoIdowhatdoIdowhatdoIdowhatdoI—' Her mind repeated the question as Eli looked at her in amusement.

"Hello!" Honoka and Kotori greeted Eli and Umi.

"Eeeeek!" Umi squealed, looking utterly shocked, and with her mind going almost completely blank.

Eli giggled at Umi, and stood to bow to the other two. "Hello," she greeted. "Forgive my partner here; she just feels...surprised."

"Does she need a check-up?" Kotori asked, looking worried as she leaned towards Umi and inspected her amber eyes. Honoka, meanwhile, removed a glove and put her bare hand on the bluenette's forehead. Both actions only served to make Umi even more flustered.

"Oh my, her temperature feels high!" Honoka declared. "A fever?"

"She also displays extreme mydriasis," Kotori observed as she continued to peer into Umi's eyes, now with pupils that threatened to grow out of her irises. "Has she been diagnosed with shock before?"

"I-I-I'm perfectly fine!" Umi suddenly shouted, laughing nervously and shooting up from her chair. However, she lost her balance as she did and almost fell back had it not been for Honoka and Kotori, who caught her by the shoulders and arms.

"Jeez, weakness as well," Honoka said. "You shouldn't be exerting so much effort with this kind of condition, you know!"

"You're lucky, though," Kotori assured. "We're both trained medics, and we're on Sick Bay duty!"

'Eli!' Umi complained. 'Help me here!'

'Now, now, Umi,' Eli responded mentally, though she gave Umi a very visible smirk as well. 'You seem to have had a sudden medical condition, which isn't something I'm knowledgeable of.'

'Eli...!'

'It would be bad form if we got back with you feeling like that, you know? I'll see you later, once they're finished 'examining' you.'

With how red and hot Umi's face suddenly became, it would not have been surprising if steam came out of her face. 'E-Eliiiii...!'

"Oh, right!" Honoka said, as she and Kotori helped Umi up. "We were supposed to ask your names earlier..." Honoka giggled sheepishly.

"Oh?" Eli said. "Well, on behalf of both of us, I'll do the honors. I'm Eli, and my very, ahem, 'sick' partner here is Umi."

"You two are Shadowguards from the Umojan Protectorate, right?" Kotori asked.

"We recognized the suits," Honoka added, "and we wanted to meet you two because you look so cool!"

Eli confirmed it with a nod. They didn't have to keep it a secret from their allies, anyway – or, at least, there wasn't a directive saying they should. "It's nothing special, really. We were sent to Mar Sara to assist with the rebellion against the Dominion, but, well..." She shrugged, and the two medics nodded.

"So what happens now?" Kotori asked.

"Well, we'll have to await further orders. Until then, I guess we're attached to the Raiders."

"Cool!" Honoka exclaimed. "That means we can hang out, right?"

"I'm sure my ocean-haired friend here would love that." Umi shot a glare at Eli, who chuckled in response. "When we're not assigned to anything, we'd love to. We liked your singing earlier, by the way. Didn't we, Umi?" Despite her embarrassment, Umi nodded. The two blushed slightly.

"We wrote the songs ourselves," Honoka said proudly. "We even released a mini-album!"

Eli chuckled. "Well, we can continue this conversation later. Umi still needs a medical examination, right?"

"Right!"

"We'll take good care of her, Eli, so don't worry!" Kotori assured.

"I'm sure you will," Eli said, as the two started carrying Umi away. The latter pleaded to Eli with her face and her mind, but Eli could only keep giggling. Umi couldn't even resist because she did feel weak – though it wasn't due to any medical condition, as the two medics would discover later.

"I might never become a bride," Umi said later in the quarter she shared with Eli. She was lying face-down on her bunk, and her face was buried in a pillow, but Eli still understood.

"Relax, Umi!" Eli assured between fits of laughter. "All they did was give you a physical!" As far as physicals were concerned, it wasn't even all that 'physical': just a full body scan (without her even having to take off her suit) along with a few questions about her actions prior to arriving at the Hyperion, and there weren't really any complications with Umi, to the relief of the two medics who attended her. She was in peak physical condition, which was a general requirement for joining the Shadowguard anyway.

As Eli's laughter subsided, she sat on Umi's bunk and leaned towards her ear. "Besides, you'll become their bride, right?"

Umi's face threatened to burn through the pillow. "Eli!"

* * *

 _Low orbit above Mar Sara_

Suspended just along the edge of the planet's upper atmosphere was a fleet of giant creatures. They were leviathans, a breed of Zerg flyer which essentially functioned as the Zerg capital ships, with deep space and warp travel capabilities that rival even the most advanced starship. Within each leviathan is the capability to spawn and house millions of Zerg – which can be slammed onto whatever surface the Zerg decide to infest by the thousands using their trademark sacs – as well as elaborate evolution and mutation chambers which constantly strive to adapt the Swarm against whatever foes and habitats they face.

Within one such mutation chamber lies a chrysalis, richly nourished, incubated, and protected by the leviathan. It had to be.

The Queen of Blades looked at the pulsating pupa. She also heard the telepathic broadcast that came from within, but she was certain that no help would come. The Protoss still build their precious armada several systems away, Raynor and his band of mercenaries and refugees are still licking their wounds, and the Dominion is too busy with her Swarm to even take notice. None will interrupt this little experiment.

When she took note of a powerful psionic presence on Mar Sara, Kerrigan felt glad that she chose the planet as her first target. Aside from having one very important objective – which, unfortunately, had been snatched away before she could take action – the Dominion fringe world's exotic minerals would help fuel the Swarm as they continued to take planet by planet, as she relentlessly marched onward for her ultimate goal of conquest.

With the addition of this little specimen, however, her dream of letting all life in the system burn felt more than certain. All shall perish before the Swarm...and for that, she would do so through the hands of another like her.

Abandoned to the Swarm, with no hope of salvation. Transformed into a...monster.

Mengsk had given her this curse. He would pay dearly, in blood. Kerrigan smiled wickedly at the chrysalis. The young girl within would make those who resigned her to this fate pay as well.

''The Princess of Blades'?' Kerrigan wondered in a rare moment of idle amusement. 'She would like that.'

* * *

 _Author's Note: Alright, looks like we'll be rolling with this until I run out of steam. Threesomes? In_ my _fanfic? It's more likely than you think!_

 _Note the absence of our Protoss idols though? We're still in the first Starcraft 2, so they won't be making a lot of appearances early on in this series – at least, I hope I make it far enough for their appearances to actually become significant._


	3. Arc 1: Wings of Liberty - Chapter 3

_Hyperion  
_ _Low orbit above Agria_

Agria was a fringe world and one of the Dominion agricultural colonies, but it wasn't always that way. Before its colonization, Agria was a barren planet, but terraforming efforts by the first group of Terran settlers turned the planet into an lush paradise. The great biodiversity that evolved on the transformed planet also meant that it was a sanctuary for various unique species of flora and fauna, many of which became vital for research efforts in medicine. Thus, it has been a primary botanical reserve for the Terran Dominion as well as the Confederacy before it, and has since enjoyed a relatively high amount of security.

However, with the Dominion Fleet pulling its forces back to protect the core worlds of the Terran Dominion, Agria was left only with a small defense force that was grossly inadequate for even a proper holdout against the Zerg Swarm. The Swarm easily overpowered the meager orbital defenses of the planet, and was moving in for the kill. The entire planet was in full evacuation mode, but very few convoys managed to make it to the planetary starport held by Agria's defense force, as the road between the evacuation point and the starport was riddled with Zerg.

"And this is what we're gonna do," Raynor told his second-in-command and captain of the Hyperion, Matt Horner. Earlier on, the Hyperion received an open distress broadcast from a certain Dr. Ariel Hanson, who acted as the representative of Agria's colonists and detailed the situation she and the colonists were in. The Raiders seemed to be the only nearby group capable of responding, and the colonists were desperate enough to take any option. Raynor couldn't, of course, simply leave those colonists to die at the hands of the Zerg. Plus, there was a hefty credit payout for finishing the mission, which would allow them to make some much-needed arsenal upgrades.

Escort duty wasn't new to the Raiders. However, escorting machines and alien artifacts was a whole different story compared to escorting vulnerable evacuees who were very desirable targets for the Zerg. Hanson was set to give them command of a small forward base for them on the ground, but they'll have to reach the area first.

* * *

 _Hyperion Cantina_

Over at the cantina, Shadowguard agents Eli and Umi were regaling their two new friends with stories of their missions together. Umi was quite content to simply tell, but Eli would not leave it at just that, playing up or even exaggerating Umi's contributions and feats as the ocean-haired agent tried to deny everything her partner tried to tell the two medics.

"...it was an amazing shot from almost twice the rifle's maximum effective range!" Eli said, raising her hands up for dramatic effect. "It was unbelievable. I thought she wouldn't be able to make the shot from that far because of the distance and the wind. We couldn't move any closer because there were Viking and Raven patrols between us and the garrison commander, and even if we got past all that he was also wearing a psi-screen which would mess us up. It was our only chance, and she took it."

The two medics were wide-eyed as Eli told the story, while Umi simply covered her entire face and looked away. That particular shot was the longest one on record, and not even in public Dominion or Confederate records did any soldier get close to what Umi pulled off. The honors she earned from that almost impossible shot seemed to be too much for her, though, and she wasn't able to come out of her quarters for almost a week due to all the attention.

"That's one heck of a shot," a voice said behind them. The four turned to see Jim Raynor walking towards their table, apparently overhearing the story. "We could use a sharpshooter like that."

"Sir!" Honoka and Kotori immediately stood and saluted Raynor. Eli and Umi also stood at attention, though Umi's face was pointed at the floor to attempt to hide her reddened face.

"You two," Jim continued, referring to Honoka and Kotori. "You're both up." The two medics nodded and proceeded to leave the cantina. "As for you ladies, if you wanna hop along, we could use a couple of snipers down on the ground."

"What do you say, Umi?" Eli asked. Umi cleared her throat and raised her head as her skin color went back to normal.

"It would be an honor, Commander," she said, bowing to Raynor.

"Alright, get your gear ready. You're coming in with the forward unit."

* * *

 _Outskirts of Larks' Crossing,_ _Agria_

The Raiders have their own Special Operations Dropship, with functional similarities to the Umojan Shadowguard dropships and differing only in appearance - both ships have dark paint jobs, but the Raider dropship also had skull decals on the stabilizer and on the sides of the cockpit. Both models are basically a modification of the G-226 medivac dropship, with its sophisticated medical equipment being replaced by communications and counter-detection gear, and its hull embedded with light-dampening material which makes it harder to visually detect despite not being outfitted with cloaking devices.

Of course, being a dropship, it still keeps the spacious transport bay, which could easily fit two siege tanks. Six people weren't a big deal, even if two of them were in giant CMC-660 heavy combat suits, which were the standard powered combat suits of Firebats. The two soldiers, Honoka, Kotori, Umi and Eli had ample breathing room as the ship entered the atmosphere with little problem and proceeded to the landing zone.

Larks' Crossing is one of the major settlements on Agria, and was the staging point of the civilian evacuation convoys. The Crossing itself was fairly secure, as was the planetary starport a few kilometers away. The main problem was the highway between the two locations, and Agria's meager security force can't spare enough troops to effectively guard the convoys against Zerg incursions.

This is where the Raiders come in. Landing just outside the settlement, the squad of two Firebats, two Medics, and two Shadowguards scanned their immediate area before proceeding. It was a fairly short walk towards the rendezvous point, and while there were a few packs of Zerglings roaming around the area, the Firebats' heavy-duty armor – supported by the two Medics behind – shrugged off the Zerglings' sharp claws, while their Perdition flamethrowers – along with precise shots from the Shadowguards' C-20A rifles – more than easily dispatched of the attackers.

As soon as the group arrived at the settlement, preparations were immediately made. Control of the nearby base was passed on over to Raynor, and construction of a pair of Barracks was begun. They had little time to work with – there are reports of a Zerg hive cluster already infesting the area to the northeast, so it was only a matter of time before the Zerg overrun both the settlement and the starport. They had to evacuate everyone as quickly as possible.

A squad of Marines was already on the ground by the time the first convoy was assembled. Just like in Mar Sara, the evacuees were herded into armored personnel carriers, while an escort group of Agria's defense force and Raynor's Raiders would accompany the vehicle on foot. As the first APC started to take in the first group of evacuees, Honoka and Kotori decided to lighten the moment by singing.

There was an almost physical effect that was felt among the gathered crowd as the two songbirds crooned despite the lack of accompaniment: the scared and tense faces seemed to loosen up, and soft smiles started to replace them as people gently swayed along. The fear of losing their lives ebbed, and newfound hope swelled within their minds. To almost everyone, it seemed almost magical.

Eli and Umi knew better, of course, but it didn't stop them from having the same feelings as the rest. There was something to be said about psionic power, that allowed those gifted to influence those around them. While there were those who used this for ill, Honoka and Kotori demonstrated their gifts in the most pure-hearted of ways, and the two Shadowguards admired the two medics even more for it.

'It feels nice to know that psionics like these two exist,' Umi thought.

She was communicating psionically with Eli, of course. The golden-haired girl nodded discreetly. 'Do you think that we could do the same?' Eli wondered.

'I...don't know...'

'But you want to as well, don't you?'

Umi nodded. 'These two inspire me greatly...I don't know, though.'

Honoka stopped singing just then, and looked at Eli and Umi. "Do you want to join us?" she asked, extending her hand out to them. Kotori continued serenading the crowd, but was also looking at the two of them.

The two were genuinely surprised at the offer, as well as how the two somehow picked up their thoughts, and Umi started to shrink away a little until she saw Eli looking at her and smiling.

"Why not, right?" she told her blue-haired partner.

It felt like an eternity before Umi replied, but when she finally spoke, it was accompanied by a small smile that already told everyone her answer even before words came out of her mouth. "We would love to," she said, looking at Honoka and Kotori as she reached for the orange-haired girl's hand.

Eli and Umi only heard the song Honoka and Kotori were singing once before. When they started singing along, however, they synchronized almost perfectly with them, as if they've heard each word of the song a thousand times. Their voices also blended together wonderfully, and by the end of the song, everyone applauded – the civilians and the soldiers detailed to escort them felt inspired and were all filled with determination, and they were ready to face the challenge ahead. The first APC and its detachment of escorts left for the starport shortly after.

* * *

 _Hyperion Bridge_

Up on the Hyperion, the Raiders noticed something much more interesting. Jim Raynor and Matt Horner were up on the Hyperion's bridge to observe and direct the evacuation, but based on what they see so far, it seemed like the Marines and Firebats he sent down would be unnecessary.

"Was there something else mixed in the stim or is it just me?" Jim asked with an incredulous look on his face.

"It's not the stim, sir," Matt replied with an equal expression of disbelief. "But it's not just you."

Egon Stetmann, the chief science advisor of the Raiders, entered the bridge just then. He did a quick salute, though it was unnoticed because the two commanding officers were still too focused on the monitor. "Excuse me, sir?" he asked.

"I presume you checked this out, Stetmann?" Jim asked without looking away.

"Yes, sir." He went over to the monitor as well, and it was basically the same thing he saw in his lab earlier: all the Zerg in the area were immobile and passive, as if they were all hypnotized or something. "And the cause of all that is the psionic presence at our base." The display now focused on the Raiders' base at Larks' Crossing. Specifically, it focused on the four women who were once again singing to the next batch of evacuees and their escorts as they waited for a new APC to arrive. A subscreen then appeared at the top-left, containing a holographic map of the area, with uniquely-colored areas to display psionic presence. The psionic 'blanket' was spread out across the entire area, which became more intense as it approached the epicenter of the phenomenon, which was the four singing girls they sent out below.

"It seems like...the girls are expressing what they feel psionically, and every being within this area is feeling the same way."

Further confirming that all of it was real and not some elaborate hoax or system malfunction were the reports of the Raiders' soldiers on the ground: most of them reported that the few Zerg that were in the convoy's path seemed to be completely pacified while the four girls sang, not even snarling at the convoys as they passed. Even as the singing stopped – temporarily, for the girls to take a break and catch their breath while the next convoy was assembled – the Zerg were extremely slow to return to their usual vicious selves, and most of the time, they were either killed before they could take action or pacified again when the singing started anew.

It was nothing short of miraculous, even for those who knew. Throughout the entire evacuation, zero convoys were lost. For most of the escorts on the ground, zero shots needed to be as the last colony ship took off, Zerg flyers spent no effort in even trying to chase the ship down before it pierced through to outer space. It was only when the Raiders left the planet as well that the Zerg went back to normal and resumed infesting the planet – only this time, there were no living Terrans left for them. By then, of course, the Hyperion had already made a warp jump to a different location.

* * *

 _Hyperion Cantina_

Over at the cantina, the four girls were the toast of the entire ship. No casualties, Agrian or Raider, were sustained, and for that the Raiders received a very hefty bonus on top of the contract reward. As a bonus, Dr. Hanson agreed to join the Raiders as a part of the laboratory crew, thereby giving a much-needed boost to the group's research capabilities. Along with the increased funding for equipment, it would go a long way in getting them prepared for the battles ahead with a few extra cards up their sleeves.

Speaking of which, the four girls were now much more than a pair of Shadowguards and a pair of Medics, or even singers. They were a weapon more powerful than any gun: a way to win against the Dominion without having to pull a trigger. They were hope incarnate.

Something that everyone living in the shadow of the Dominion gravely needed.

* * *

"That was really amazing," Kotori said, as she and the other girls hung around in Eli and Umi's quarter some time later. "What we did back there, I mean."

"It was," Eli agreed. "Who would've thought that our singing could have that kind of effect..."

"We can make big changes with this!" Honoka realized. "With our voice, we can make the Dominion a better place, we can bring peace without anyone having to lose their lives...!"

"It was still strange, though..." Umi observed, having recovered from the embarrassment that she got from all the praise earlier. "I've heard of artists who could psionically influence an audience during their performances, but never on the scale that we did..."

"Maybe it's because it's four of us?" Honoka wondered.

"Maybe," Eli said. "Anyway, we should get some sleep for now. We'll be deploying somewhere else soon, right?"

Kotori nodded in reply as she and Honoka stood. "See you later, Eli-chan, Umi-chan!" As the two made their exits, Eli sat next to Umi.

"You didn't ask them to stay and sleep over?" she teased, flustering Umi and making her bury her face in her pillow.

"Again with that?" she said in a muffled voice.

"The bunk should be able to fit you three together, right?" Eli giggled as she returned to her own bed. Before lying down, she flipped open a small night light on the bedside desk and powered off the room lights.

Just as she was about to fall asleep, though, Umi psionically switched the light off. Eli yelped as near-total darkness enveloped the quarter, and she quickly stood up and opened the room lights. Umi was looking at her with no small amount of amusement, while Eli only pouted at her as she flipped the night light back on.

Despite all of her deployments and deep-space trips, Eli never really got over her fear of the dark.

* * *

 _Unknown Location_

While the Zerg had descended upon Agria, it wasn't the only target of the Swarm at that time, nor was it the planet the Queen of Blades was personally looking for. She and her personal leviathan were systems away, headed for a moon which formerly belonged to the now-dead Protoss Empire.

Even that far away, however, she felt the psionic echo from the now-former Dominion fringe world. It made her feel oddly well and relaxed. With her focus being on the mission at hand, though, she took it as a sign of victory, and the rest of the Swarm also felt the same good feeling.

Of course, Kerrigan wasn't the only psionic who directly felt that faint presence. Within the maturing chrysalis in the mutation chamber, Nico Yazawa sensed it in her mind as well...and, somehow, a part of herself - the few shreds of humanity that she still possessed - felt like she recognized it. She felt...a different kind of warmth than the one of her organic prison, and...hope...

'Hope...' Once again, she was slipping into unconsciousness. She was unsure if she would still remember that hope when she fully awakens. But for that moment in time, she felt like there was someone, somewhere, trying to reach out to her. She had to hold onto her humanity even as her entire being was slowly torn apart and woven into something different. She had to remember when she awakens once again, somehow. And she had to try reaching out, whenever she could. 'Mama...soon, I'll...' Now wasn't the time, though, so she kept her thoughts to herself as her consciousness started drifting away again.

* * *

 _A/N: So, there we go. I'm finding some writing steam again after a bit of floundering about aimlessly and being mostly unproductive._

 _Does this seem to be a cheap cop-out so far, though? Miraculous psi shenanigans and the power of love and friendship cause universal peace!_ _Nah, there's gonna be some action, worry not. It can't always be sunshine and rainbows. But that's for another chapter._

 _For another chapter as well: Nico's formal (re)appearance. Stay tuned._


	4. Arc 1: Wings of Liberty - Chapter 4

_Hyperion_  
 _Low orbit above Monlyth_

The next stop for Raynor's Raiders was a Protoss shrine-world called Monlyth. It was actually a moon, but it held significant value to the now-defunct Protoss Empire due to the natural satellite's first living visitors. The Xel'naga's presence on Monlyth was brief, but they left evidence of it in the form of a unique artifact which the Protoss guarded before abandoning Monlyth centuries ago. Protoss still resided on Monlyth and the temple which housed this artifact, but...

"...now, don't get all sentimental thinking these Tal'darim are your old Protoss buddies, 'cause they ain't." Over at the bridge of the Hyperion, Jim Raynor was in the middle of a job discussion with his second-in-command Matt Horner, and his old friend and ex-convict Tychus Findlay. Findlay reappeared in Raynor's life after the successful liberation of Backwater Station, where the latter was surprised at how the former somehow managed to escape his supposed life sentence in cryogenic stasis. After filling him in on his tall tales of his daring escape, Findlay tipped Raynor off on the alien artifact being excavated on White Rock, as well as the job to snatch it. After holding out against the Zerg (which seemed to be after the artifact, though Findlay swore he didn't know and was just being the middleman for the job) and escaping from Mar Sara, Findlay had become as much a usual sight in the Hyperion as the jukebox at the cantina (if not as welcomed – Horner in particular frequently shows visible disapproval and distrust with Findlay, even with Raynor's assurances).

Of course, another reason why Tychus stayed aboard was that he was also currently their sole connection to his mysterious contact who gave (and paid for) the first artifact job: the Moebius Foundation. It was a surprise that a legitimate research group would even associate with an individual with Findlay's record, but the Dominion's ban on the alien goods trade made quite a few people desperate.

So much so that they were even prepared draw the ire of a much more technologically-advanced race such as the Protoss. There would be no diplomacy or bargaining here on Raynor's part: the Tal'darim are not the Protoss which Raynor fought alongside in the past, but were self-exiled fanatics. It was going to be another smash and grab.

This time, however, it would be with an added complication in the form of the Zerg Swarm. Led personally by the Queen of Blades herself, the Swarm was already setting up a foothold on the moon and pushing towards the shrine when the Hyperion stabilized in orbit. There was little time to act, but the Raiders had a special card up their sleeve if they need it.

 _Hyperion Launch Bay_

The aforementioned cards didn't need to move out yet, though, so they simply waited at the Hyperion's massive launching bay and passed the time chatting and watching the Raiders' strike force prepare to deploy from orbit.

"So have you ever been on big operations like these before?" Kotori asked the two Shadowguards. Even though she and Honoka have been a part of the Raiders for a while now, the operations they've been involved in have mostly been confined to their home planet of Mar Sara, and mostly behind the lines in medical bays.

In contrast, Eli and Umi are seasoned covert operatives. "Not directly, no," Eli responded. "We have worked behind the scenes on some big revolts, though."

"But nothing special," Umi was quick to add.

Eli rolled her eyes and smirked in response. 'Just the usual sabotage, espionage, and assassination contract. Maybe the odd prison break here and there. Nothing special, right?' Umi blushed and lowered her head, and Eli giggled. The two medics' heads tilted sideways at what was going on. Eli noticed this and simply shook her head and smiled, at her partner's expense.

"Come on, we know you have some amazing stories!" Honoka said, leaning closer towards Umi. "It's alright to share them, right?"

"Umi-chan, please?" Kotori pleaded, doing the same and staring right at Umi with a pair of puppy eyes.

With how close the two girls were to her face, Umi immediately leaned back and turned her head as even more blood rushed towards her cheeks. "I-I told you, they're nothing special-!" She suddenly yelped and jumped forward as Eli discreetly poked her waist, and landed right into the arms of the two medics.

"Umi-chan~? Are you hiding another medical condition from us?" Honoka inquired with a rather playful tone in her voice.

"Do you need another checkup? We might need to move out soon, you know?" Kotori followed, her voice also sounding impish. The two giggled afterwards, and Umi put both of her hands on her face.

"Eliiiiiii...!" Umi whined, and the two patted her head afterwards. Both Eli and Umi could clearly hear what the two were thinking (and it caused the latter's face to heat up even more): 'Umi-chan's so cute!'

The Special Operations Dropship came back to the launch bay just then; however, they weren't here to pick up the four girls. Instead, a unit of soldiers wearing heavy-duty 5-4 Armored Infantry Suits - the heavily-modified variant of the CMC-660 configured to launch armor-piercing grenades - entered, and the dropship was off again in less than 5 minutes.

"It seems like we wouldn't be needed down there any time soon, huh?" Eli observed.

"The boys are gonna need the combat experience, after all," Jim Raynor said, approaching them. Right afterwards, the four stood up and saluted him. "Got an encrypted transmission for you two, from your boss. Head on over to the bridge."

The two operatives looked at each other. "Well, this is it," Umi said. Honoka and Kotori's eyes were downcast at the news. "We're not yet sure if we're going to be reassigned or simply asked for a status update, so don't feel down just yet."

* * *

 _Monlyth_

Meanwhile, down on the ground, it was a bloody battlefield. When the Protoss Empire abandoned the moon, centuries before the current time, the Tal'darim chose to remain and tended to the shrines to the Xel'naga, including the one which housed the sacred artifact. The Tal'darim were no strangers to war, and were prepared to lay down all their lives in the defense on the artifact.

On the other hand, the Zerg Swarm numbered in the billions. A war of attrition against the Zerg was futile, as the Swarm would eventually overwhelm the moon through sheer numbers. Even as the Swarm was amassing just outside the shrine's grounds, the attacks were already relentless.

Of course, for Raynor's Raiders, the Zerg Swarm was seen as good news - as long as they outpaced them. The Zerg were naturally seen as the greater threat, so the Tal'darim focused the bulk of their defenses against them. This meant that it would take some time for the Zerg to actually reach the artifact first, and that the Tal'darim force facing the Raiders would be relatively small. This proved to be true upon execution - the new addition to the Raiders' arsenal, the Marauders, were highly effective against the bulk of the defending army because of their powerful armor-piercing grenades, even against the stone Zealot guardians which became animated as the Raiders closed in on the artifact - and the Raiders were able to reach and make off with the artifact, much to both the Tal'darim's and the Queen of Blades' dismay. The Raiders quickly retreated to orbit as soon as the job was done, leaving the Tal'darim defenders trapped in an ultimately futile stand-off against the unrelenting Zerg Swarm.

Kerrigan had hoped to grab this artifact, but, once again, Raynor's resourcefulness proved to be a particularly annoying thorn in the Queen of Blade's side as her Swarm overran the temple to find the objective within already gone. With this latest setback in mind, Kerrigan and her leviathan quickly took off to look for the location of the next Xel'naga artifact.

However, that did not mean that all the Zerg would withdraw from Monlyth. In her place, Kerrigan left a broodmother and her brood, and a mature chrysalis. The brood's purpose was simple: guard the chrysalis until it hatches, and then overrun the entirety of Monlyth.

* * *

 _Hyperion Bridge_

It didn't take too long. Even as both the Terrans and Zerg entered warp space to go to their separate next destinations, the violent outburst of psionic energy when the chrysalis split open was felt very clearly when they re-entered realspace.

For most of those on the Hyperion, it was a dark and foreboding sensation. The Hyperion's sensors immediately picked up the emerging psionic signature on Monlyth, which nearly compared to Kerrigan's. For the psionics on-board, though, it was a much more tangible feeling as the wave of psionic energy hit them and brought them to their knees.

"This...power..." Eli said, as she struggled to get up. She and Umi had just been in touch with Umoja only moments earlier, before the psionic wave passed through their minds and temporarily incapacitated them.

"Are you girls alright?" Raynor asked, as he knew full well what the cause was.

"The spike in power was so sudden..." Umi said. Her vision was greatly blurred for a few moments, so shook her head before getting back up on her feet, then helped Eli get up. "Was that what I think it was...?"

"Afraid so. It's good that we managed to get away before that happened."

The two agents nodded. Umi suddenly had a realization. "Excuse us for a moment, sir," she said with increasing worry in her voice. Eli had the same thought, and the two quickly exited the bridge and headed for the sick bay.

The situation was as bad as they thought when they arrived. Honoka and Kotori were busy tending to the (thankfully minor) scrapes in the recent operation when the psionic outburst hit. The two suffered from searing headaches as their minds were overloaded, before going unconscious. The other medics on duty put them on their own beds and had just hooked them up to life support when Eli and Umi arrived.

"Will they be alright?" Umi asked.

"They should be," one of the medics on-duty replied. "Their vital signs are alright, though their breathing is weaker, and their brain activity dropped like a stone when they blacked out. They should reawaken soon."

"Thank goodness." Umi let out a long sigh of relief. "If it's fine...can we have a moment with them?"

Fortunately for them, the last combat casualty was quickly treated, so the other medics allowed the four some privacy. Umi stood vigil over the two while Eli kept an eye on their vital signs, which were still thankfully regular.

Some time later, they started to come to. "Nnhh..." Kotori groaned as the aftershocks of the splitting headache that attacked her earlier started. Her eyes were still getting used to the bright light hanging right above her, and they took their time adjusting. Honoka followed shortly after, but she announced her return to consciousness much more loudly, bolting upright from the bed with a loud shriek of pain as she felt her own headache return, with her body soaked in cold sweat.

"Honoka-chan...?" Kotori, feeling more concerned for Honoka, asked weakly, and she struggled to get up from the bed, when a pair of hands firmly grasped her shoulders and gently pushed her back down.

"Don't," a familiar voice spoke softly. "She's alright. You're alright. But you two need to rest."

Something blocked out the light above, allowing Kotori's eyes to see more clearly, and there was Umi's face hovering above hers. There were tears in the ocean-haired girl's eyes, but also a small, relieved smile on her face. Umi then turned her attention to the bed behind her, and Kotori's eyes followed.

"U-U-Umi-chan..." Honoka rasped shakily, while Umi held her tightly and rubbed her back.

"It's alright, Honoka. You and Kotori are safe." Honoka suddenly couldn't help herself, and she threw her arms around Umi and burned her face into her chest. Umi flinched slightly, but her hand quickly moved to Honoka's head to caress it gently.

"Umi-chan...?" Umi heard from behind her.

"Yes, Kotori-" before she complete her inquiry, Kotori's arms were already around her waist, and Umi felt her tear-stained face on her back. Umi was taken aback at first, but then turned slightly to wrap her other arm around Kotori. The three quietly stayed that way for a while, with the only sound being the muffled sniffles of the two girls beside Umi.

Eli, on the other hand, was leaning on the wall in front of them and watching them with a small smile. At the back of her mind, though, she was also worried. The wave of psionic energy was very powerful, and its source was known to the four of them in this room. Quite possibly one of the most powerful psionic signatures to be recorded, and its origin was Terran.

Was.

The Queen of Blades alone is a force to be feared, and not just because of her total command over the Zerg Swarm. With a second-in-command with comparable capabilities, however, the situation has just become much more dire.

* * *

 _Monlyth_

When the Chrysalis hatched, the broodmother in-charge of the fragment of the Swarm on Monlyth was clearing out the rest of the Tal'darim on the temple grounds. She and the rest of her brood, through her, clearly felt the surge of power from it, and the attacking Zerg were sent into a ravenous frenzy that amplified the destruction they wrought on the surviving Tal'darim. Those that were around the chrysalis instinctively backed away as if being pushed by a physical force, and when the wave passed, all seemed to bow towards it.

"Welcome, Princess of Blades," the broodmother spoke with reverence as the creature within stepped out of her brief abode. In many ways, the Princess of Blades bore a striking resemblance to the Queen, which mostly her human physique but with several heavy modifications: her body was adorned with a tough carapace which resembled a skin-tight suit, her hands resembled particularly sharp claws, she bore claw-like "wings", and her hair became a bundle of dreadlock-like antennae. Compared to Kerrigan, though, the Princess had a noticeably smaller figure, and her "hair" seemed to be arranged in what looked like a pair of pigtails which closely matched her old hairstyle. Most notably, however, was the color of her eyes, which burned a very intense pink.

Nico Yazawa looked at her "reborn" self. She remembers very little of her life as a Terran, but she remembered enough to be able to make the comparison between her human and infested forms. She let out a disappointed scowl when she saw that her chest hasn't changed at all, and right after, she heard laughter from within her.

'Ah, you're finally awake,' Kerrigan, systems away, observed. 'Well, I believe you already know your purpose here.'

'Yeah,' Nico replied, 'rather casually,' Kerrigan thought. It was a strangely refreshing change of pace, however, so she didn't interrupt. 'Lead this brood and clear out the rest of the moon, and then the rest of the system.'

'Good.'

Nico stretched her arms, and her wings opened as well. She then looked at the broodmother. 'Well, you know what the Queen ordered. Let's burn the rest of this system for the Swarm.'

'As you command, Princess.' Almost immediately after that statement, the entire brood mobilized once more, and Nico herself led the attacks on the remaining Tal'darim strongpoints on Monlyth. Soon after, hive clusters were established, and preparations were made to take over the planet Monlyth orbited, as well as its seven other moons.

Nico's orders were simple: she will form and command her own Swarm from here, and she will conquer this system world by world. After that, she was free to choose her next path, but she had an ultimate goal, set by Kerrigan as her primary directive to all of the Zerg Swarm: the entirety of the Kropulu Sector shall be infested, down to the last moon.

It was the start of a new dark chapter in the sector's history.

* * *

 _A/N: Okay, so this took_ ** _way_** _too long. I'd been in a very severe writing slump since November. I actually had half of this chapter written after the previous one when I just...stopped. I don't know. It comes and goes._

 _But that's for another time, and I know it shouldn't be an excuse. I'm back, and I'm ready to escalate the current state of the Koprulu Sector. More are on the way - and not after two and a half months this time, I promise._


	5. Arc 1: Wings of Liberty - Chapter 5

_Dark Templar Shrine  
Talematros, Shakuras_

Any Dark Templar Shrine is considered sacred ground for the Nerazim – the one at Talematros, in particular, is special due to it being the first shrine established when the Dark Templar began making Shakuras their home. At the time of Nico's reawakening, Dark Prelate Nozomi was in a meditative state in one of its many chambers with her apprentice, Hanayo. The power of Nico's psionic outburst was such that its echoes even reached the center of Protoss space, at the far reaches of the Koprulu sector.

Hanayo was shaken from her meditation by the echo and the lingering violence she felt from it, and she let out a sharp cry of pain. Nozomi did not seem affected by it, however...

"Did you feel it, too?" she asked her pupil. It was a moot point; the Protoss were a psionic species (and arguably the most powerful in general compared to the other living races), so it was impossible for any Protoss to not feel it. They felt Kerrigan's during the Great War, and while this pulse of psionic energy did not seem as powerful, just the fact that it happened at all was more than enough of a cause for concern.

Hanayo nodded in alarm. The phenomenon brought back grave memories of the first Great War and the Brood Wars, back when she was still a student of the Dark Templar ways: she remembered when the Khalai – rather, what was left of them – arrived at Shakuras, battered and weary; she remembered the rebellion that Aldaris led when it was discovered that the late Matriarch was under Kerrigan's control; she remembered when Zeratul was forced to slay her to release her from the Queen of Blades' psychic grasp. It was not the best of days, especially since she and Rin were forced to stay apart for a long time due to tensions between the two Protoss kindreds.

Now it seems like history would be repeating itself. And this time, she might have to play a part in it. She knew that she would have to go to war one day, and she prepared for it, and yet she always kept alive the hope that war would become unnecessary, that – farfetched a wish as it was – all in the sector would be able to live in peace. This most recent event – a herald of a great threat – was quickly killing that hope. She would have to draw her blade. She would have to kill. And she might even die in the process. She never wanted to think about it, but in this dark moment, she couldn't help it, and it made her feel weak and powerless. She looked to her mentor for strength, advice, something to tell her that everything would be okay.

Nozomi was in a trance again. Hanayo was familiar with these: a vision was appearing in the Prelate's mind, and the intensity in her eyes was suggesting that she was trying to comprehend it. Hanayo, as usual, was unsure of what her mentor sees, even when it's shared to her, but the slightest flicker of hope was in her mind. Might it be that this bad omen...might not be as bad?

Nozomi came out of her trance a little later, and looked at her apprentice. She knew Hanayo had been watching, and could tell what she was thinking. "It's still unclear," Nozomi said. "A little clearer than the last time, but still a blur." Hanayo's worry was visible on her face, but she saw Nozomi's eyes soften. "I still don't know what it holds, but do not lose hope." Nozomi also shared her apprentice's wish, though she prepared for war much more diligently, even as she secretly prayed for peace. It was necessary for this, and it was why she brought the timid Dark Templar under her wing. Hanayo needed to learn this necessity, and to trust her strength when she needs it the most. 'It was fortunate that she met Rin and Maki,' she thought. Those two would aid her in that path, would be there to catch her if she trips along the way, and would give her strength even when fear starts to consume her.

For this new threat, she – all Protoss – would need all that strength if they are to overcome.

* * *

 _Twilight Council_

Within the Twilight Council, the council – all Khalai, in fact – felt it as well, as a particularly violent ripple through the Khala. It was enough to disorient them all for a brief moment, but once they recovered, they knew its significance. A new danger has emerged. Another threat to the galaxy.

As if Kerrigan's renewed sense of conquest wasn't enough, now they had to contend with another psionic infested Terran. Whoever it was has to be stopped before its power matures. The sector doesn't need another Kerrigan. Thus, the council has decided to send an expedition to investigate, and if possible, eradicate the threat by any means necessary.

Maki and Rin were in the former's usual room, with the High Templar playing her music and the Praetor listening peacefully to it before the ripples of the psionic wave arrived. Sometime later, the council convened at the uppermost level of the building. The meeting was brief, and the decision, made swiftly. Executor Selendis, the second-in-command of the Hierarch of the Daelaam, went to the room as soon as the Council adjourned, surprising the two.

"Good day, Praetor, High Templar," Selendis greeted. "I'm sure you two were aware of the Council's meeting earlier on?"

"We were, Executor," Maki replied. "It concluded rather quickly, however."

Selendis nodded. "With good reason. I will not ask if you felt what I – what all of us – felt moments before. I know you do. A consensus was reached in little time, however, for the investigation of this new threat by the Golden Armada." She then looked at Rin. "Praetor, you will lead this investigation. Find out what you can, and, if possible, cut this threat at the root."

"By your command, Executor," Rin obeyed.

"Make haste with your preparations. You shall leave at dawn."

"With your permission, may I bring some comrades along?"

"Of course. That is part of your preparations, after all. An expeditionary fleet shall be allocated from the Golden Armada, and some of our best Templar shall be going—" Rin shook her head at that, surprising Selendis. "What do you have in mind, Praetor?"

"I've made up my mind about who I will bring along, don't worry." She then turned her head towards Maki, who was initially taken aback.

"You can't be serious, Rin," Maki responded.

"I trust you and Kayo-chin best, and you know that." If she had a mouth, Rin would have been smiling brightly. As is, the intense golden glint flaring from her eyes told the other two the same thing.

"This will certainly be interesting, then," Selendis observed. "Merely a High Templar and a Dark Templar. You certainly put much faith in her and the Nerazim, but I trust your judgments. Regardless, you will have access to reinforcements at your discretion. Our main concern is this new threat. The Daelaam shall put their trust with you and your comrades on this."

"We will do our best _nya!"_ Rin assured her excitedly, surprising the Executor with the strange verbal tic – she never heard it until today, though the High Templar beside her didn't seem fazed by it. Still, the Praetor's excitement was indeed infectious, and Selendis could not help but chuckle for a brief moment.

"Good. _En Taro Adun,_ Templar. We are counting on you."

Sometime later, the trio – accompanied, surprisingly, by the Dark Prelate herself, who reasoned that her apprentice would still need her guidance – boarded Nozomi's personal starship, the _Spiritual Power,_ at her insistence: the ship was just the right size for the four of them to operate without having to bring extra crew members (in fact, Nozomi can operate it herself while the other three prepare themselves for their mission), and bringing a carrier for what was essentially a reconnaissance mission was impractical. The ship took off after final preparations and commenced warp travel towards the source of the psionic pulse, which was discovered to have originated from the grounds of one of the old Xel'naga shrines on Monlyth.

* * *

 _Hyperion  
High orbit above Redstone III_

At around the same time, the Hyperion was stabilizing above Redstone III, a volcanic planet featuring a cataclysmic fracture on a large part of its northern hemisphere. The planet seemed like it had been cracked open, and the parts that have come loose still float slightly above where they split off. Down on its surface, it does not look any more stable, with a highly uneven landscape making terrestrial navigation nearly impossible, and with frequent quakes triggering sudden surges of lava which flood the planet's pockets of low ground and further impeding ground movement.

Due to these strange geological conditions, though, the planet produced some of the most valuable mineral fields across the sector, and many Terran mining guilds have fought to secure mining rights on the planet before the Kel-Morian Combine, a large coalition between the two top corporate guilds in the sector formed in response to the threat presented by the former Terran Confederacy on their operations, took control of the planet. When the Zerg Swarm descended on the planet only recently, the KMC was forced to abandon it, and since then, it once again became a free mining zone, albeit with the added risk from Zerg hive clusters scattered around the valuable deposits.

If not for their current contract, the Raiders would have been more than glad to stay away - Jim Raynor doesn't have the best of relationships with volcanic planets, and it wasn't helping that the Zerg were settled down on it. As it is, they planned to finish the contract as quickly as possible.

 _Hyperion Cantina_

Once again, Honoka, Kotori, Umi, and Eli stayed behind on standby while a small crew went down to secure a mining base. This time, however, they were at the cantina, entertaining the assembled crowd with a song they had recently made together. Even without the speakers throughout the entire ship broadcasting their melody, it touched the hearts and minds of everyone aboard, soothing the atmosphere and easing the tensions of those set to follow the forward crew.

* * *

 _Six hours earlier_

"That's it, ladies. As usual, you'll wait up here until you're needed - with luck, that shouldn't be necessary."

Raynor dismissed the four after the short briefing. They shouldn't be needed, as the Zerg should be deterred from getting to them by the planet's periodic lava surges; even then, they don't expect anything more than small raiding parties, and a mobile force of Marines and Firebats should be more than enough to keep the Zerg away from their mining operations. Still, it was necessary that they were at least prepared to move out at a moment's notice, just in case the unexpected happens.

And with all that's happened thus far, the unexpected is certainly becoming a much more common occurrence than the Raiders would've liked.

The four girls found their way back to the cantina, having light drinks on the counter while enjoying the music playing from the jukebox. As Eli raised her hand to call for another round for them, the next song came up. The bubbly intro was unmistakable, and the voice that started singing a few seconds later even more so. All of them looked up at the jukebox at the same time, and then to each other.

"Nico-chan..." Honoka started. No further words seemed to be necessary, however, as the other three nodded right after. As Nico Yazawa's hit single filled the cantina, everyone else suddenly fell silent. The laughter and banter died quickly, replaced with somber looks and bowed heads. All of them knew at this point. All of them wanted payback for Nico, for the Swarm's abduction of her, for turning her into whatever monstrosity she had become.

And yet there was one thing the four psionics on-board knew that no one else did. Within the flood of dark rage was...something else. A faint cry for help, it seemed. Nico was still in there, and if they can, they will save her. If they can, they will help her overcome her curse. But until they cross paths, they could only hope that whatever humanity still remains within Nico would continue to remain.

"Say..." Eli said, to break the silence between them. "How about we write a song for her? Something to honor her...and to keep us hoping." Despite the atmosphere, small smiles appeared on the faces of the other three.

"Yeah...that's a great idea, Eli-chan," Honoka concurred. "I know Nico-chan is still there somewhere. We felt it, right?" The other three nodded.

"It was...faint," Umi added, "but somehow, Nico...still seemed to be reaching out to us."

"She's still there," Kotori agreed. "That means we can still save her, right?"

"If her consciousness still remains by the time we actually encounter her," Eli added. "We have to hope that Nico will keep trying to resist succumbing to her infestation."

"I know she will," Honoka confidently declared. "Her mom is still here, and I'm sure she's still calling for her. She'll keep fighting."

As the other three discussed further, Umi discreetly brought out a notepad-

"Ooh, Umi-chan, that looks cute!"

Honoka's sudden exclamation impulsively made Umi shove the notepad under the table. "W-What are you talking about?"

Eli laughed. "There's nothing to be embarrassed about it, you know?"

"B-But..." Despite her protests, Umi relented, and revealed her notepad once again. The cover had a cute floral design with a bunny at the center, and the pen that was attached to it shared the same floral pattern, and had a cap with bunny ears.

"It's really cute, Umi-chan!" Kotori squealed, and the two of them leaned in for a closer look.

"Y-You two! I won't be able to write like this!" Of course, despite her protests, she was able to write a short song within a few hours. Eli and Kotori were able to add music to it with the latter's guitar, and the song was ready to be performed by the time the advance party left for Redstone III's surface.

* * *

 _Unknown Location_

And quite the performance it was, Nozomi told herself. She was surprised when she picked it up as the _Spiritual Power_ skirted the Void, which was how Dark Templar ships achieved faster-than-light travel - experienced Nerazim used their knowledge of the Void, and their mastery over its energies, to ride its invisible currents, in a manner not unlike warp space travel.

Perhaps it was the Void's doing, but as she sped her ship towards their objective, Nozomi felt faint psionic echoes, similar (though comparatively weaker) to the psionic signature of the new Zerg threat - only, instead of rage and danger, she felt...joy? And hope? It was strange, but it warmed her heart that there were such thoughts like that. It gave her hope for the peace that she and her apprentice wished for greatly, and, more importantly for her, somehow made the succeeding vision a little clearer than before. It was still very much a blur to her, but now she could clearly identify colors. Nine colors, and nine blurry silhouettes. Four colors in particular caught her eye: red, yellow, green, and purple. She looked at the three Templar preparing for their mission at the back...and then at her own reflection. 'This mission...could it be more than just a coincidence?'

 _High orbit above Monlyth_

They emerged from the Void moments later, with the Protoss shrine world just in sight...and a Zerg Leviathan hovering just at the edge of the moon's atmosphere.

"Just as feared," Nozomi said. The other three were also observing the Zerg monstrosity as it lazily drifted. They didn't know how long it has been there, but they had to assume the worst: that the entire moon had been completely infested. Nozomi knew that a splinter group of Tal'darim had stayed behind when Monlyth was largely abandoned by the Empire. Heretics they may have been, it was undeniable that the Tal'darim were fierce fanatics, and any threat against the shrines on the surface would be met by unrelenting resistance. On the other hand, their numbers were still limited, compared to the Zerg invaders who could replace every underling they lost with dozens more. Nozomi briefly wondered what reason the Zerg had for invading such a place. For whatever artifacts the shrines kept, perhaps? And for what purpose would they use those? Nozomi figured that it may be connected to the birth of the new infested psionic, but what for...

Those questions would have to wait, she figured. She and her fellow Templar had their mission for now. The _Spiritual Power_ cloaked itself and set a course for the surface of Monlyth, just outside the grounds of an important Xel'naga shrine.

* * *

 _A/N: Alright, we're getting somewhere here. Also, as I've said before, our Protoss idols-to-be will gradually become scarce as the first arc progresses. Hopefully. Funny thing is, I've already mapped out the second and third arcs, but I'm having trouble working on the first. I don't know. Maybe things'll become clearer eventually. Like our spiritual Prelate's visions.  
_


	6. Arc 1: Wings of Liberty - Chapter 6

_Monlyth_

Nico and her brood were off to a successful start. The entire subsystem was well on its way to becoming completely infested, which was helped immensely by the almost-total lack of resistance. Or other lifeforms, really: what local fauna there was on the other moons and planet were quickly consumed, their genetic sequences quickly discarded since they would be useless to the Swarm. The remaining pockets of Protoss resistance across the subsystem were dispatched in similar fashion, and hive clusters soon started covering the surfaces of the other celestial bodies.

Nico returned to Monlyth after the invasions. The Queen of Blades' orders were clear, of course, but Nico was still technically a newborn, and constantly leading from the front took its toll on her.

"So, Nafash, what's our next target?" she asked the broodmother upon entering the hive. Kerrigan didn't exactly specify targets for her, since Nico was basically given free rein. However, she needed a next step, and she figured that Nafash, being more familiar with the sector, would have some good ideas to offer.

Nafash bowed as Nico approached. "We have two options from here, Princess. Firstly, as we are very close to Protoss space, we can probe even deeper and assault the Protoss directly. Such an engagement would be the greatest test for our brood, and allow us to take the rest of the sector with ease should we succeed - however, the Protoss are dangerous, and with the Swarm split in two, we do not yet have the numbers to take them on without suffering heavily.

"Our other option is to invade isolated Terran worlds scattered at the fringe of their Dominion. These systems would be easier pickings, and would serve to strengthen the brood for the eventual confrontation with the Protoss. This path would also reconnect us with the rest of the Swarm, allowing us to more quickly eradicate the Terran Dominion before redirecting all of our strength towards the Protoss." Nafash had sensed Nico's agitation at the mention of the Dominion. The Queen of Blades also harbored some grudge against the Dominion, which translated to increased ferocity among the Zerg during attacks which she personally led against Dominion forces. Such might be the case here, but the Princess of Blades' hatred felt more than that.

The broodmother knew that the young Princess was a former Terran. Perhaps it was due to a lingering hatred...

"Right...I can't fight the Protoss in my current state yet. I need to get stronger...and I think a good warmup is in order." Nico nodded towards Nafash. "It's settled, then. Prepare the brood for departure. We'll pay a visit to some Terran worlds."

"By your command." Nafash bowed again, and soon enough, a Leviathan began its descent towards the surface of Monlyth.

The invasion would serve two purposes for the Princess of Blades: aside from making the brood stronger and larger, she was also anxious to unlock her full potential. The Queen of Blades gave some useful advice with this regard, based on her own experience: perhaps something in the Terran databases would give her the information that she needs.

* * *

It was just as well that Nico's psionic potential was still largely untapped. Because of it, the _Spriritual Power_ and the Templar within managed to make a covert landing. They still had to pick their landing zone carefully, of course; despite the shroud of the Void wrapped around the ship, the powerful sensors of Zerg Overseers and Spore Crawlers would have caught them as they descended, and whatever backup they'd manage to call by then would arrive too late to save them.

When the ship landed at a secure location, the Dark Prelate and her apprentice exited the ship, while the two Khalai templar remained, their visual and psionic signatures still shrouded within the _Spiritual Power._ A thorough assessment of their situation was required before any other action could be taken, and it fell to the Nerazim to do this task. It was a well-suited mission for them: the energies of the Void which they wield would serve to hide them from the senses of most Zerg, and allow them to evade those which can penetrate their shadowy veils.

Nozomi moved deftly across the field, while Hanayo followed to the best of her abilities. It had been quite a while since the former had to exercise her powers, and despite the constant danger, she also felt some excitement. The latter was a lot more terrified of the entire situation, which was understandable considering that they were outnumbered several billions-to-one, and it required most of her focus to make sure her cloaking didn't break and to make sure that she kept up with her mentor.

Eventually, they reached a vantage point outside of the primary hive on Monlyth, where the psionic emanations of the new infested Terran was strongest.

"It looks like she's here," Nozomi whispered. Hanayo slowly nodded and looked around: no Overseers in the sky. They could observe in relative safety here, though Hanayo still scanned the area around them just in case an errant Zerg were to approach their location.

It would be a relatively quick wait for them: the entrance to the hive opened, and the massive broodmother emerged from it. Right behind it was a comparatively smaller and clearly-humanoid figure.

"Aha." Visually sharing many attributes of the Queen of Blades herself, right down to the bony wings and the armor-like carapace. However, this infested Terran was smaller, both in height and - 'Why did I even notice _that?'_ Nozomi briefly wondered - bust size. The way her 'hair' was styled was also different from the Queen of Blades'. But perhaps the most significant indicator was the glow of her energy: a bright and vibrant pink...

Pink...

"Pink..." Nozomi repeated out loud, just within earshot of her apprentice. Where had she seen that? She tried to remember her recurring visions: nine silhouettes bathed in nine colors. All she could remember were her own and her companions'. She considered entering a trance, but dismissed it quickly. Doing so here would reveal her to the Zerg.

"The Zerg are gathering!" Hanayo observed, shaking Nozomi out of her thoughts. Hordes of Zerg started converging towards the hive, and gathered around the broodmother and the infested Terran. Nozomi and Hanayo saw why a moment later, when a massive shadow engulfed the area...

"The Leviathan!" The massive spacefaring creature slowly descended from the sky, and flocks of airborne Zerg began entering it. When the Leviathan touched down, the Zerg on the ground started entering as well, along with the infested Terran and the broodmother.

"It looks like they're going to move out," Nozomi said. "Let's head back to the ship." Hanayo nodded frantically, and the two of them made their way back to the _Spiritual Power._

"Nozomi-chan! Kayo-chin!" Rin called as they entered. "The Leviathan landed!"

"I'm sure they know that already, Rin," Maki retorted. "What did you see down there, Prelate?"

"The Zerg are preparing to move out," Nozomi said. "Along with the infested Terran, who seems to be leading the brood."

"What do we do from here?" Hanayo asked. It was obvious that they'd need to relay their findings, but from there, what was their next course of action? Nozomi, Maki and Hanayo looked to the leader of the expedition.

"Eh?!" Rin almost forgot that she was the leader. "Well...maybe we should follow them?" Which was dangerous, though it made sense. They need more information about infested Terran and her capabilities. And they had to know where the Zerg were headed. If this brood was going to head towards Protoss space, the four of them had to send out the information immediately.

Nozomi nodded. "Alright." The _Spiritual Power_ was quickly prepped for takeoff - the ship would launch shortly after the Leviathan, and would carefully trail the beast towards its destination, wherever that might be.

 _High orbit above Monlyth_

It was not just one Leviathan. Two more appeared from the other side of the moon, and another two came from the planet Monlyth orbited, and they all rendezvoused with the first one, making for a total of five Leviathans - which also amounted to _billions_ of Zerg. This would be a very rough fight for the Golden Armada should the Leviathans head towards Shakuras.

Fortunately, based on the directions the beasts were facing, the Protoss would be safe from invasion...for the meantime. It looked like the Zerg were preparing to head towards Terran worlds instead.

"That would actually suit our mission," Maki noted. "We'd be able to observe that infested Terran's capabilities without necessarily putting ourselves in danger." It was a little cold and selfish, considering that they would be putting Terran lives at risk. But they had to put theirs first, since their actions may save much more.

"Looks like the Zerg are preparing for warp travel," Nozomi observed. A large wormhole appeared in front of the leviathans, and the monstrosities slowly entered. Maki activated a star map, and was quickly able to figure out where the Zerg would strike. Nozomi prepared the _Spiritual Power_ for travel across the Void once again, and when the wormhole closed, the Nerazim ship had also disappeared.

* * *

 _Meinhoff_

One of these worlds is Meinhoff, a Fringe World and one of the main territories of the Kel-Morian Combine. On the outbreak of the Zerg Swarm's massive mobilization across the entire sector, the Terran Dominion withdrew its forces to protect the Core Worlds, leaving the Fringe Worlds mostly defenseless. A mass exodus of refugees to the Core Worlds shortly began afterwards, though not all colony ships would make it very far. Those that managed to get away from the Zerg set course for Meinhoff, and used the planet as a staging point to get to the Core Worlds. The entire planet's population skyrocketed within days, as colony ships from other Fringe Worlds converged onto Meinhoff in the hope that they would be provided safe passage into the Core Worlds. Agria's colonists, fortunately, managed to secure a spot for their own, though they were still camped close to refugees from other worlds.

With so many people, however, the issue of overcrowding reared its ugly head. Deaths from food and water shortage both on the planet and in the orbiting colony ships that couldn't land started to pile up, and the resulting controversy forced the KMC to stem the tide of refugees. The Dominion's inaction didn't help matters, as the Dominion Fleet mainly kept to the Core Worlds to repel the invading Zerg.

What's worse, however, was that the sheer density of refugees on Meinhoff made it easy for epidemics to erupt. The worst of them, however, started spreading shortly after Agria's colonists touched down: the Zerg hyper-evolutionary virus.

The virus was the primary method of Zerg infestation, which had started years ago during the First Great War, when the Zerg and Protoss first made their presence known to the Terrans. The Zerg were in need of a psionic species to assimilate to give them an advantage over the Protoss. The Protoss themselves, the most powerful psionic species in the sector, were immune to infestation, and the Zerg scoured the sector in search of another species with high psionic potential. This they found in the Terrans - or at least a limited population among them. The first strain of the virus was rudimentary, and most of its victims turned into mindless and hollow drones due to genetic incompatibility, rendering their psionic potential null. Only one victim became a successful example: Sarah Kerrigan, the Queen of Blades herself. When Kerrigan became the leader of the Swarm, she refined the virus further, resulting in at least one more case of a successful infestation. That the subject of that infestation had been considered a failure was unimportant since he died anyway, but Kerrigan became confident that she could repeat the process, and made further attempts to make the virus even more effective, as well as to create different strains for different situations. All she needed were test subjects.

And the Second Great War - a.k.a. the current conflict which she instigated - became the perfect testing grounds. Already she had a successful subject with her, Nico Yazawa the Princess of Blades, and she was eager to test it even further. Meinhoff became the perfect target for one of the strains, which was the most virulent so far. Through spores scattered across population centers, several settlements became ground zeroes for the infestation, and many of their inhabitants rapidly mutated into zombie-like infested Terrans, which were quick to overwhelm what security forces the settlements had and spread the virus even further. Not even buildings seemed to be safe, as infested growths bursted out from several structures that were also covered by infested spores.

 _Hyperion Bridge_

The unique circumstances of Meinhoff, however, quickly revealed a flaw in the strain, at least for the "living" affected. It wasn't exactly a glaring one, but it was one that would need to be addressed at some point, and, at least for the Raiders, something that would give them an advantage on the ground.

"It looks like they burrow underground by day and emerge only at night," Dr. Ariel Hanson noted as she looked at the holo screen showing the infested terrans. "The virus must make them vulnerable to the high UV output of Meinhoff's star."

"Then we'll hit the infested buildings by day and protect our base at night," Jim Raynor said. "Don't worry, Doc - we'll contain this thing."

The Special Ops Dropship quickly deployed to send down troops to secure a forward base. Included in this force were field medics Honoka Kousaka and Kotori Minami, and Shadowguard agents Eli Ayase and Sonoda Umi.

 _Jorgentron_  
 _Meinhoff_

There would be no light moments here. "Our singing won't work on them, huh..." Honoka said forlornly, as she stared at a distant cluster of infested buildings of the Jorgentron settlement from atop an elevated platform with the other three.

"Sometimes this is our only option," Umi said. She was not new to violence, as was her partner. However, even she would readily admit that they were fighting an enemy like nothing they'd encountered in their years of service. "This particular strain is too dangerous to simply leave alone."

"If only there was a cure for this..." Kotori lamented. It might be wishful thinking at this point: not even the Protoss were able to create a cure that could permanently reverse the effects of Zerg infestation. The virus simply mutated too quickly to allow any sort of remedy to keep up.

"Well, the Protoss already tried," Eli replied. "The effects were only temporary: the nano-tech serum started to degrade after a period of time, and by then the Zerg had already developed immunity to it."

The two medics made resigned nods in response. The primary reason why they became medics despite their psionic potential was that they wanted to save people. It was unavoidable that some could not be saved, though, and while it haunted them from time to time, it also strengthened their resolve to rescue as many as they could from the brink of death. With each life they saved, their hope of a peaceful future after their revolution affirmed itself.

But this...was not what they wanted to see. Men, women, and children, still living, still breathing...still mentally trying to fight the madness that has plagued their bodies in vain...it felt unfair that these people had to suffer this kind of fate, and have only one way out. Maybe. There might still be hope...but will it arrive in time to rescue these souls?

"Nightfall approaching," the four of them heard the Adjutant announce over their comms earpieces. Sure enough, they saw Meinhoff's blue star steadily sink below the horizon, and, through their tactical ghost visors, the Shadowguards saw the ground staring to stir.

"They're emerging," Umi reported. "Let's get into position." There are two entrances into the base, at the north and southeast, and both of them had been hastily fortified with bunkers. The Raiders will have to hold off the incoming horde until dawn breaks, and attempt to destroy the infested buildings at sunrise. The two Shadowguards split up and proceeded to position themselves on elevated perches at each entrance. The two medics, meanwhile, would link up with the mobile strike group, currently at the north side. They'll swing between each entrance as needed, and will be the ones to move out once the sun rises.

The sun rises and sets quickly on Meinhoff, so the Raiders can't afford to waste any time.

* * *

 _A/N: So, a bit of info of the Starcraft 2 campaign is in order here, to clear things out for those who've also played the campaign, as well as for those who might seem confused at where our Raiders are going around._

 _The storyline of Wings of Liberty contains branches. How these branches are developed is entirely up to the player: they can go through branches and play certain missions in an order which they see fit (usually depending on what units they want unlocked first, since playing through most missions will unlock units and customizations for said units), though they'll eventually converge. I'm basing this on my own playthrough of the campaign, which, so far, started three branches at this point, though [SPOILER ALERT] this particular branch will be finished after a chapter or two._

 _I promise I'll turn these out more quickly. I've been finding less time with writing (mainly because of SIF and *cough* Granblue - I'm not sure if I'll write about_ that; _we'll see), though I've been recently trying to pick up steam again. I have started on the next chapter as of publishing this, so hopefully it won't be as long a wait._


	7. Arc 1: Wings of Liberty - Chapter 7

_Jorgentron_  
 _Meinhoff_

It's been two days now since Raynor's Raiders had made camp within the now-infested settlement of Jorgentron on Meinhoff. However, it barely felt like a day for the hardened troops, who were accustomed to much longer days. It's been the same cycle for them: while the sun was still blazing in the sky, the infested citizens and soldiers of the settlement mostly kept to the ground, leaving the Raiders free to get busy torching the infested buildings. When the sun started to set and the ground started to stir, the Raiders retreated to their camps and awaited behind bunkers and barricades to hold off the horde. There'd been a small scare the previous night, when infested marines appeared within the swarm's ranks - while the CMC combat suit could shield its users from most hazards, the smallest crack in the visor, puncture in the armor, or, really, any opening whatsoever in a hazardous environment (including accidentally leaving the visor up while in said environment, a glaring mistake that many marines have somehow made) would leave the fragile Terran inside vulnerable indeed, and much more to the Zerg virus, which ride microscopic spores trying to seek out any biological host that would present itself. Even Tychus, who was never known to scare very easily, shuddered at the thought of losing himself to the Zerg.

Otherwise, it had been a mostly easy nighttime holdout. Infested marines aside, the general infested Terrans were slow and required them to get close to do any damage - which the Raiders, hiding behind their barricades and ordnance, prevented them from doing. And while the infested marines also used Gauss rifles, their marksmanship skills were degraded like the rest of their mental faculties.

"Nightfall approaching," the Adjutant announced for the third time. The sun was starting to set quickly, and along the side of the road, the dirt started to stir.

"Alright, let's get back," the leader of the strike group said. They've eliminated all of the buildings in the western area of the settlement, which left only the southern and eastern sectors. Thanks to the most recent addition to the Raiders' arsenal, the high-speed ATVX Hellions which are armed with mounted flamethrowers, it shouldn't take too long.

"Scans are picking up a unique Zerg bio-signature," the Adjutant added. "It appears to be a burrowing creature that is underground during the day and emerges only at night."

Horner's voice was then heard over the comms, addressing Raynor as he met the incoming strike group: "Sir, if you kill one of those creatures, Stettman can study it and perhaps learn something."

Raynor considered it. Whatever the target is could offer something about this infestation. Maybe even help uncover a cure? It was a long shot, but if they were to save these people... On the other hand, the creature only emerged at night, and while its unique signature would make tracking it trivial, there was the issue of the thousands of infested that would stand between them and it. They're bound to suffer heavy casualties if they were to try, which would also leave their base undermanned for defense...

"We can take care of that, Commander." Raynor turned around to face Shadowguard agent Eli Ayase. It shouldn't have surprised him considering their psionic ability... "It shouldn't be too hard for us."

"There are no Zerg detectors in the area," Umi Sonoda added. "We can slip through the infested unseen and collect the samples."

Raynor nodded. "Okay, that's your mission for tonight."

Honoka interjected: "Get back here safely, okay?"

"Promise us," Kotori followed.

"We promise," Umi answered for both of them, holding their hands and looking them in the eyes with a confident smile on her face.

'So cool!' both Shadowguards heard in their heads, and Eli's also-confident smile almost broke into a silly giggle, while Umi's own charismatic air was almost broken. The blue-haired agent loudly cleared her throat, and nodded at both of them, and to Raynor. "We'll be careful."

After that, the two vanished into thin air, as their hostile environment suits became washed in their psionic energy and activated the suit's built-in cloaking device along with its special cells which reflected light. Working in conjunction, the hostile environment suits rendered both Shadowguards near-completely invisible without specialized equipment (or specialized strains, in the Zerg's case); for those who have sharp senses and the awareness of a cloaked agent in the vicinity, they might be able to spot the faint ripples of the suits as their wearers move, though those still don't often raise suspicions in all but the most alert.

The ambling infested certainly weren't, as their attention was directed either at the enemy they could sense or at nothing in particular. Eli and Umi easily bypassed the large hordes of infested Terrans as they made their way towards their objective in the still-infested southern sector, handily marked within the tactical maps of their ghost visors.

There was the target. It was a strange and rather large creature, with a bulging abdomen, a carapace that seems to be made of hardened mold and fungi, and what seems to be acid seeping from its spine-like legs.

'That's it, right?' Eli asked her partner. 'It looks disgusting...'

'It is,' Umi confirmed. 'It looks like some evolution of the borbu matriarch...' That creature was more like a colony of several organisms than a single one. Such seems to be the same case here as well, based on the scans Horner conducted through the visors.

"Alright, try to neutralize it so we can get samples of it," Horner then said. With a nod from Eli, Umi aimed her C20A canister rifle at the creature's head. 300 meters. Easy shot. Umi breathed out, and pulled the trigger.

A barely-audible 'pop' was heard as the C20A's 25mm antipersonnel round lanced through the still night air and pierced the unsuspecting creature's head. "Kill confirmed," Umi reported, and she and Eli approached the creature quickly. A special bag was produced, and a small part of it was placed inside.

"Well, now, what do we have here..." Eli whispered. Just a little further was another of those creatures. Two samples would certainly be of much use, and Eli was quick to realize this. 'A second one. I'll take it down.'

Eli deftly maneuvered to a favorable shooting position, and raised her own rifle towards her target. The darkness was a little disturbing for her, but Umi wasn't too far off, and her visor allowed her to see as if it was broad daylight. 500 meters. Still easy.

Another 'pop', another round, another kill. Eli approached her target and brought out another bag. A sample from that creature was placed, and by the time Eli finished, Umi had caught up with her.

'Time to head back,' Umi told her. Eli stood up and reported back to Raynor.

"Two samples secured," Eli said. "Returning to base now." The two agents then made their way back to the base, still unseen by the Zerg. They saw the next wave of Zerg assembling for an attack along the way. It was still the usual mess of infested Terrans, but now there was something towering above them...

"What is that _thing?!"_ Dr. Hanson, watching the visors' feed, asked in horror. "Was it human?"

"Seems like it..." Raynor observed. "That's one hell of a virus, then."

"Warning," the Adjutant alerted. "Southern barricade breached."

"Get some troops down there!" The mobile group quickly marched to the now-opened southern side of the base, where they faced down the fresh horde of infested Terrans, including several of the hulking monstrosities.

"Marines and Marauders, focus fire on that thing!" the strike group leader ordered. "Hellions and Firebats, cover the frontline!"

"Y'know, I think I saw this in a movie once..." Findlay remarked as he engaged the giant with his minigun. He was talking about another unexpected entrance opening up, but it could have also applied to the fight against the creatures that were easily five times his size. They could certainly absorb bullets and grenades, but it was all a matter of how much the Raiders could pump into them.

The infested were still pouring into the hole, but SCVs were already hard at work plugging it with bunkers and barriers, while the mobile group continued to push the infested back. After a while, the sun started rising, and the infested instinctively scrambled to try and seek shelter, though many of them didn't make it and ended up burning from the intense ultraviolet light of Meinhoff's star.

"Oh, hell yes," Findlay said. "This is gonna be our time alright."

"Alright, boys and girls, back to work," the group leader said afterwards. As Honoka and Kotori prepared to move out again, they were met by Eli and Umi, who decloaked in front of them.

"Welcome back!" the two medics exclaimed, wrapping the two Shadowguards in a warm hug.

"I told you we'd make it back safely, didn't we?" Umi told them. "Now, get back to your group. We'll be waiting back here."

"Roger!" As the two medics rejoined the strike group, Eli lightly pinched Umi's cheek.

"Eli!" Umi loudly complained, to which the blonde only giggled in response. "W-We still have to deliver the samples!" Eli laughed again, and the two of them headed to the command center to drop off the Zerg tissue samples.

The sun was setting when the strike group came back. By then, the Raiders didn't have much else to worry about: a fresh squadron of Hellions allowed the group to purge the two remaining sectors at once, and Jorgentron had finally been cleansed of infested.

* * *

 _Hyperion_

Once the Raiders and colonists disengaged from the planet, the four psionics made a celebratory performance at the cantina, refreshing the hearts and minds of the hardened troops and the weary Agria colonists.

"You did it, Jim," Dr. Hanson said. "I knew you wouldn't let us down. Now I've got to get my people somewhere safe."

"Ain't gonna be so easy, darlin'," Raynor replied. "This whole sector's crawling with Zerg."

"There's got to be somewhere out there the aliens haven't touched...some undiscovered paradise waiting for us."

There might be, Raynor thought to himself. It'll probably be a long way away from Meinhoff, and the problem over there is that if the colonists caught even some whiff of the infestation here, it won't be long before another group of aliens descend upon them. And against the Zerg, they show no mercy.

* * *

 _High orbit above Meinhoff_

Perhaps it was coincidence, or maybe fate. Whatever the case, as the Hyperion and Agria colony ships disappeared into warp space for its next mission, the Leviathan fleet emerged. The other departing colony ships and what escorts they had wouldn't be as lucky. From the leviathans, swarms of Zerg flyers immediately emerged and made contact with the Terran ships, and those that were far too close to the spacefaring monstrosities were 'harpooned' by large and powerful tendrils, which also functioned as bridges to allow the groundborne Zerg to board the ships and lay waste to the populations within.

While all that was going on, the lead Leviathan already pierced through Meinhoff's atmosphere and what remains of its planetary defenses and was making its way to the planet's surface. Once it touched down, the Zerg emerged, once again led by the Princess of Blades. There were still parts of the planet where the Terran stubbornly held off against the infested, and Nico's arrival would ensure their demise.

"This planet looks like it's already been lost even before the arrival of the Leviathans," Maki observed quietly.

Hiding within the shadow of the Leviathan (and within the shadow of the Void) was the Spiritual Power. The Nerazim ship had emerged shortly after the Leviathans, and stealthily trailed the one which was bound for the surface. Once again, the ship landed in a fairly secure location some distance from the Leviathan, and, again, the two Dark Templar departed and made their way to the location of the infested Terran.

What they saw all around them horrified Hanayo greatly as they headed towards their target: corpses and devastated remains of buildings, vehicles, and even spacecraft littered the landscape. It was clear that the Terrans tried to escape, and tried in vain to hold their ground while their awaited an extraction that was unable to come. It was also clear that the cause came from within: scattered within the devastated settlements were clearly-infested buildings, which meant that the planet had been infested before the arrival of the infested psionic and her brood. The Protoss were well aware of the new strain of the Zerg hyper evolutionary virus, and kept constant vigil over the planets within their territory, as well as the planets outside - Terran planets orbiting very close to Protoss space, in particular - to detect the beginnings of any sort of infestation so it could be purified with haste.

Meinhoff was a surprise case. The sudden exodus of Terrans from across their Fringe Worlds made it difficult to tell who might have been infested, though as the refugee population swelled it was only a matter of time before an infested outbreak erupted on Meinhoff. It was only a matter of how much of the infestation could be contained by the Terrans, and for how long, before the Golden Armada could mobilize to finish the job.

The appearance of the infested psionic disrupted Protoss plans somewhat. Her presence had become prioritized as a far greater threat to the entire Sector than the infestation; it did not mean that the infestation could be ignored, however. In this, the decision of Praetor Rin to bring a small squad of Templar to assess the new threat brought some relief. The Armada was now free to keep a stricter watch on the borders of Protoss space while awaiting their Praetor's decision.

"Leading from the front, as expected," Nozomi observed as she watched the infested psionic tear through a loaded bunker with ease, and crushing another in a psionic grip afterwards. With the defenses down, the rest of the Zerg poured into the base, while she stopped to sit down.

"So, our friend here does not yet have full mastery over her psionic potential." That was particularly good news. It meant that her psionic powers wouldn't be as formidable as the Queen of Blades herself - although she would still be dangerous as it is, as there was still uncertainty to take into account: unconscious or unexpected outbursts could occur, and could potentially be fatal to them should they engage her.

But not here. There were simply too many Zerg to even consider assassinating her, as taking too long would have billions of Zerg assaulting only the four of them. They would need the force of the Golden Armada if they were to take them on here, and the Armada was still warily patrolling Protoss space.

For now, they had to be content with keeping watch, until an opportunity presents itself...

"She and a handful of Zerg went in that structure..." Nozomi noticed.

'Prelate,' Maki communicated to Nozomi. 'According to scans prior to landing, the psionic entered an underground Terran research facility.'

'I feel like something similar has happened before...' Kerrigan's story so far had been well-chronicled by her enemies: after reawakening as the Queen of Blades, she sought to remove the limiters of her psionic potential, placed upon her by ghost conditioning protocols in her former life. To that end, she raided a Terran science vessel, the _Amerigo,_ and acquired classified files about the old Confederacy's Ghost Program to undo her conditioning and make full use of her psionic powers.

Nozomi didn't know if their target had been exposed to the current Dominion's own brand of ghost conditioning, though her recent performance in battle revealed that she has barely scratched the surface. Perhaps she would instead try to access information that would allow her to properly use her potential...

'Maki, we will be following her,' Nozomi decided.

'Do you plan on dispatching her down there?'

'Maybe. We'll see.'

'Be careful, you two. _Adun toridas.'_

'Likewise.'

Once the way was clear, Nozomi and Hanayo dove into the research facility as well. Maki and Rin continued to track their movements, as well as the Zerg outside. Should a stray Overseer come by, they'll have no choice but to leave and call in the Armada, and hope for Adun to keep the two Dark Templar hidden until reinforcements arrive.

* * *

 _A/N: I'm certainly on a roll. I hope I keep this momentum up. Anyway, we'll be talking less about the Terrans (and the main campaign) in the next chapter. We'll jump back there afterwards. Probably._


	8. Arc 1: Wings of Liberty - Chapter 8

_Dominion Research Lab_  
 _Meinhoff_

The air reeked of death, and bloodstains marred the walls. Littered on the steps leading down into the facility were carcasses of fallen infested Terrans. Occasionally, there was a Dominion marine who didn't succumb to the infestation before falling, often with scratches and dents on their power armor and blood on the attached neosteel bayonets under their Gauss rifles. The rifles themselves were mostly spent, with much of their ammunition within the infested corpses, and the spent shell casings scattered all over.

Hanayo was nauseous as she slowly trod the stairs, being careful to avoid stepping on one of the corpses.

As they approached the foot of the steps, the corpses started piling up, and it became increasingly difficult for the younger Nerazim to find a spot without a dead body. Once they reached the bottom, they saw what seemed to be a security checkpoint, with a large, half-open metal door indicating that the entrance had not been sealed in time. Right in front of it were two barricades, and the destroyed remains of some defensive turret. Leaning on the barricades were more marines, some of whom had equally-dead infested lying on top of them.

Hanayo wasn't sure if she could take it any longer. She started to lose her balance, only to be caught by her mentor.

"It isn't pleasant, no?" Nozomi whispered. Hanayo held her head and struggled to get back up on her feet.

"We still have to do this, I know," Hanayo replied. "Right now, no one else can." After composing herself, the two of them entered the devastated lab. This time, there were also noncombatants among the dead: scientists, wearing white coats that have been stained with blood and torn in several places; and a few civilians who sought to take shelter within the supposedly-fortified lab. The two Nerazim walked through the darkened main hallway, eventually reaching an intersection.

"This way," Nozomi quietly gestured to the path to the left. Psionic energy was emanating from there, which would only mean that their quarry was that way. The two of them followed the trail, passing by several raided rooms. 'If she was looking for information...'

The lab's main supercomputer. She would need to access that to be able to find information about the Ghost Program. Where could it be hidden, then...

"Stop," Nozomi told Hanayo. The two of them quickly backed flat onto the wall and froze as a pair of Zerglings appeared from around the corner of the hallway and sprinted past them. It took all of their self-control to not draw their blades when the Zerglings seemed to run towards them, and only started moving when the two creatures had disappeared from sight. Afterwards, they heard a crash, and a scream.

"We're getting close," Nozomi said, already sprinting towards the source of the noise. Hanayo followed closely behind.

"...like I said," the two heard as they approached the only occupied room in this part of the lab. "Do as I say and I may consider letting you live." The reply was panicked and broken words, but it seemed like the captive Terran was complying: "And do it quickly. I don't have time to waste."

Nozomi slowed down, and eventually came to a halt beside the door before taking a peek inside, while Hanayo watched the hallways just in case. Most of the room was a chaotic mess, but the massive Terran supercomputer still functioned at its center. In front of it was their quarry, and her terrified Terran prisoner. The Terran was struggling to operate the computer through his fear, and no thoughts of escape or resistance could enter him. Not with one of the infested psionic's talon-like wings poised behind his neck.

"H-Here are the f-files present here for the G-Ghost Program..."

"Good. All I need now is someone to interpret this for me..."

"Erm...i-if I may..." the Terran spoke up. "If you would want more complete information on the Ghost Program..." He hesitated for a brief few seconds as he thought about what he was going to say. However, he deemed his immediate survival to be the ultimate priority. "...Tyrador VIII has a s-science vessel in orbit. Science vessels would have complete access to the Ghost Program within their systems since they're used to coordinate with the agents."

"Hm, I see."

Nozomi immediately relayed this information to Maki, who checked the star map. 'Hm...Tyrador VIII is a few systems away from here. It is one of the main hubs of research for the Terrans. Should we get there ahead of the Zerg?'

It was a risk, Nozomi was certain, to let her get so close to her goal. Right now, on the other hand, she and her apprentice had the perfect opportunity to strike. This infested was practically offering herself up-

"Don't think that your tricks hide you completely, Protoss."

Nozomi froze. She shouldn't have been spotted, otherwise she couldn't have gotten so close...unless...

"I'm not looking to pick a fight with your kind. Yet." The infested turned around and seemed to lock eyes with Nozomi through the Dark Templar's cloaking. Pink eyes burned intensely, and Nozomi could feel the suddenly-strong pressure coming from her. "I'll allow you a choice here. You are free to escape with your life now, and you will stay out of my way from here on out. You can also choose to escape now and confront me again above Tyrador VIII, but know that you will not be afforded any mercy there.

"And, as tantalizing of a choice fighting me here and now is, thousands of Zerg are ready to pour into this lab and slaughter you and whoever else you brought along down here the moment I allow it. Choose wisely, Protoss. This is the first and last time the Princess of Blades will give you the luxury."

Nozomi did not hesitate. "Hanayo, let's get out." She suspected that the Zerg were likely to be waiting for them on the surface regardless of this...Princess of Blades' words. She and Hanayo had to move quickly.

* * *

Nico smirked with satisfaction as she felt the psionic signatures of the Dark Templar slowly fade away. She still had packs of underlings and an Overseer waiting in ambush at the lab entrance, of course. She wasn't _that_ generous.

"Ummm...a-am I free to go as well...?" the Terran meekly inquired.

"You served your purpose," Nico allowed. "Now get out of my sight."

The second his permission was granted, the Terran scientist made a break for a hidden hangar a floor below, and he was thankful that the Princess of Blades seemed to keep her end of the bargain, as the entire path was clear of Zerg. That place housed several all-terrain vehicles, and were directly connected to a tunnel network which would bring him miles away from the settlement, and close to a Starport. Hopefully that Starport would still be intact, and would still have a functioning starship for him to escape with. It was a slim hope, but it was the best chance he had.

He would not be escaping the facility - as a Terran, at least. On Nico's command, an infestor - a colony-like creature which was one of the latest Zerg strains to be introduced - burrowed underneath the only remaining ATV in the hidden hangar, and simply waited. When the scientist started to open the vehicle cabin, a harpoon-like tentacle pierced his temple, and the infestor's neural parasite went to work, completely pacifying the scientist and allowing the infestor to unburrow and devour the scientist whole.

* * *

When the two Dark Templar reached the surface, the Zerg had sprung their trap. Aided by the Overseer's powerful sensory organs, which were able to see through any sort of cloaking, the Zerg began a mad dash towards the intruders. Nozomi immediately started running, but her apprentice was paralyzed by fear.

"Run, Hanayo!" Nozomi called out. "Run!"

Still, it was as if Hanayo's senses had completely shut down. All she could do was stand helplessly as the Zerg charged towards her. Nozomi was forced to go back and grab Hanayo by the arm.

"Focus, Hanayo." Nozomi sternly told her. That, along with her mentor's steady grip, brought Hanayo's mind back to the reality of the situation, and she nodded shakily in response. Together, the two disappeared in a puff of smoke, reappearing moments later behind the rabble and making a run for their ship. Nozomi hoped that the ship was still there.

It was, and Maki immediately allowed the two inside. This revealed the Spiritual Power to the pursuing Zerg, and a small swarm of airborne Zerg started forming to intercept their departure. The Zerg's ground forces were deterred by the High Templar's potent psionic storm.

Quickly getting behind the pilot's seat, Nozomi had the ship rapidly take off and prepare for faster-than-light travel towards their next destination: the Tyrador system. As the Spiritual Power ascended, the Zerg flyers - composed primarily of the squid-like Corruptors, the dedicated anti-ship strain of the airborne Swarm - started attacking. Fortunately, the ship's plasma shield held, albeit barely, until the ship had charged sufficiently to make the jump into the Void, and after a tense few moments, the ship was once again within the relative safety of the Void's currents and speeding towards one of two co-orbiting planets on the outermost part of the Tyardor system.

Only then did everyone allow themselves to relax, and, in Hanayo's case, cry in relief. It had been her first real close encounter with death itself, and it once again highlighted the young Nerazim's peculiarity among her people as she broke down. Rin and Maki held her close, the latter softly humming a tune to help calm her nerves. Hanayo fell asleep in their arms a while later, relieving her companions.

And allowing her mentor to refocus her mind on their quarry. Nozomi had always viewed the Princess of Blades as a threat, though the recent encounter proved just how dangerous the infested psionic really is. It had been a rare moment of underestimation on Nozomi's part (though she told herself that the Princess of Blades allowed such thinking to happen, something which made her shudder once she realized how close she and her apprentice could have been to certain death), and she promised herself that it would be the last time.

Once again, however, her vision manifested itself. Nine silhouettes, and nine colors...and she was now certain that one of those colors is pink...

...the same bright pink which burned intensely in the Princess of Blades' eyes...

Nozomi was shaken out of her trance in yet another rare moment for her, this time of confusion. Her vision started raising even more questions now.

'What would Zeratul do in this situation?' She knew what he would say, though: find the truth. However, now wasn't the time for that, for she and her companions still had a mission to accomplish.

* * *

Nico emerged from the underground facility just in time to see the Protoss ship depart, and she smiled wryly. She knew that there were more than two of them, and knew that the small force she allowed to attack them wouldn't be enough to cut off their escape. If they were smart, they'd stay out of her way and instead prepare for the eventual day she and the rest of the Swarm clash with and eradicate the remainder of the Protoss race.

Of course, she knew otherwise, and she reveled in the thought of actually confronting them. Still, she needed to exercise caution. Even with the new information she has, she still needed to figure out how to make use of it, and it would not be enough to unlock her peak strength. She was also certain that she wouldn't be given the time to make use of the additional data that she'd pilfer. But she had a plan to account for that.

And, coincidentally, Tyrador VIII was a prime target on Kerrigan's list. She was sure the Queen won't mind; she should even feel honored to be assisting the great Nico-Nii-

'Where the heck did _that_ come from?' Nico blinked hard and shook her head. That was...strange, to say the least. However, she pushed her questions to the back of her mind. The rest of Meinhoff still beckoned, and her Swarm was still hungry.

* * *

 _A/N: Yeah, I took my sweet time with this again. I've been making myself busy with other things as of late, so I hope you guys understand. And we'll be leaping back to the main campaign next chapter, as promised._

 _Also, changing rating at this point, to be on the safe side. This chapter warrants it (actually, I should have done so on the last chapter or two)._


	9. Arc 1: Wings of Liberty - Chapter 9

With the Princess of Blades' plans out in the open, Dark Prelate Nozomi, Praetor Rin, High Templar Maki and Dark Templar Hanayo planned to stop the infested Terran over Tyrador VIII. This would mean boarding the target science vessel with full cooperation from the Terrans, as well as having the Golden Armada itself intercept the Zerg Swarm before arriving as the first line of defense and to lessen the risk of the Princess of Blades getting close to the ship.

Tyrador VIII was still far off, and it would take three days at best. This gave the expedition of four a well-needed reprieve to prepare for the upcoming confrontation, as well as precious time to refine their plans and make sure they had the best chance of stopping the Princess of Blades. It was especially important for the young Dark Templar: she needed to steel herself even more for the horrors of war, because she knew she can't rely on her mentor or her best friends all the time. She almost lost her life back there on Meinhoff, and she swore to not repeat her mistakes.

* * *

 _Hyperion_  
 _High orbit above Xil_

Above a dead world in another part of the sector, Raynor's Raiders prepared themselves for yet another artifact retrieval job. With the Agrian ships setting off to find a new world to colonize, the Raiders were free to take on other jobs to fill their coffers and bolster their forces for the upcoming revolution against the Dominion. Once again, courtesy of the Moebius Foundation, the Raiders didn't have to wait for long.

Xil had been mostly biologically dead for millions of years, with its entire biosphere having been wiped out by some unrecorded disaster, and the planet has yet to recover even after all these millennia. As with Monlyth, the Xel'naga briefly visited Xil, though they abandoned it when disaster struck. However, their relics still remained.

Also the same with Monlyth, the Tal'darim, ever so fanatical to their gods, quickly occupied Xil when they discovered the artifacts, and have stood guard over them ever since. They weren't strangers to invaders, and they certainly didn't take kindly to thieves.

The Moebius Foundation found that out rather painfully from their recent expedition. A specialist crew had been sent to the planet to recover another artifact within yet another Xel'naga temple, but contact was lost shortly after the artifact's location was located. Fearing the worst, the foundation hired the Raiders to discover what happened, and perhaps pick up where the crew left off. The suspects were easily identified when the Raiders' advance force made their way towards the Moebius expedition's abandoned base camp, which included the massive laser drill which was specifically brought to breach the temple. They then, after retaking the base and setting up a defensive network - augmented by the recent addition to the Raiders' arsenal, the vaunted Crucio Siege Tanks which were recently introduced to the Terran Dominion's arsenal to replace the old Arclite tanks - continued the Moebius crew's work. Once again, there was no chance of diplomacy with the Tal'darim. They would have to take the artifact by force.

This time, the two covert snipers and two medics would not be seeing combat for the meantime, and for their short reprieve, they would be doing a performance. This time, it would be all four of them instead of just Honoka and Kotori, and the _Hyperion's_ personnel were eager to once again listen to the same voices which saved them a lot of trouble back on Agria. The four of them were making their preparations in the latter two's room.

"You haven't lost your talent with the guitar, I see," Umi noted as Eli stopped playing the instrument, lent to her by Kotori. It had been Eli's favorite instrument since her grandmother taught her how to play it. Her grandmother eventually passed her old-but-lovingly-maintained guitar over to her grandchild, and Eli wished that she could have brought it along during this mission.

Eli smiled at her partner's compliment. "And you've always been good at writing a song." Umi blushed at the remark, which intensified as Honoka and Kotori nodded gleefully in agreement.

"It sounds so great!" Honoka agreed. "We can't wait to sing it live later, right, Kotori-chan?" Kotori nodded enthusiastically in agreement, and Eli chuckled.

"This is our first time singing in front of an audience," Eli admitted. "More often than not, Umi and I would only sing when nobody was around." Umi nodded vigorously in agreement. "But that was mainly because of Umi. She would freeze up and completely lose her voice if she even suspected that other people could be listening."

"Eli!"

The blonde laughed again at her partner's expense, as Umi buried her face in a pillow. "Although something changed after singing at Agria," she added.

"...I do admit that it felt unnatural for me to do such a thing..." Umi said loudly enough for them to hear. "But...back then, it seemed like the right thing to do...and, with all four of us, I felt like I _could_ do it..." She then felt two people sit beside her, and she hugged the pillow even tighter to her face.

"You sang beautifully with us back then," Kotori said, placing a hand on Umi's shoulder. "We also felt nervous when we decided to sing, but with you and Eli-chan, it felt like we could do anything."

"Mm-hmm!" Honoka agreed, also placing her hand on Umi's other shoulder, and glancing towards Eli as well. "It was like our hearts were one, and together they reached out to everyone's. I want to do it again, and I really feel like we could."

After a few moments of silence, Umi mumbled something unintelligible. "Eh?" Honoka wondered.

"What did you say, Umi-chan?" Kotori followed.

Her grip around the pillow loosened slightly, and Umi's slightly-teary eyes peeked out, with flushed cheeks peeking out just below. "...I also want to do it again. With all of us." The two medics beamed at each other, and wrapped the blue-haired sharpshooter in a hug that made her entire face completely burn up.

Again, Eli couldn't help but chuckle at Umi's expense. However, she also sensed a presence just outside their room. It didn't seem hostile, so she casually stood up and opened the door.

The figure standing beside jumped in surprise when Eli poked her head out of the room. "Mrs. Yazawa?" she said when she recognized who was there, and her expression softened. "Would you like to come in?"

* * *

"I'm looking forward to watching you girls perform later," Mrs. Yazawa said to them. She looked slightly better compared to when she first boarded the ship. However, it was still obvious that she'd seen better days.

"Thank you, Mrs. Yazawa," Honoka replied. "We can't wait to show everyone the new song we just made."

"That's wonderful! I can't wait to see how the kids would react. Cocoro, Cocoa and Cotarou always listened to your songs on the radio, and N-Nico...always looked forward to..." Her voice then trailed off, and her mouth was left hanging open, as if trying to let the rest of the sentence out. "N-Nico...I..."

Before she started to break down again, Honoka firmly held both of her hands. "You still sense her, don't you?" she softly asked her. "We do, too. We know she's still there. And I promise that we'll bring her back. I still don't know how...but I know we'll find some way!" Tears welled up in Mrs. Yazawa's eyes, and she bit her shaking lips.

"We'll never lose hope in that, Mrs. Yazawa," Umi added, with Kotori and Eli nodding beside her. "And the song we made is for that promise, so we won't ever forget."

"I know that it might be hard to believe..." Kotori started to say.

Mrs. Yazawa shook her head slowly as tears started streaming across her face. "No, I do believe. Thank you, girls. I'd been starting to lose hope..." She rubbed her eyes with a handkerchief. "I know that Nico would still believe." The four looked at each other and smiled softly. "You know, Nico always wanted to meet you two, Honoka, Kotori."

"We did, too!" Kotori said. "We always wanted to work on a song together, and we were looking forward to meeting each other back in Mar Sara..." Kotori looked at a poster of Revolution Overdrive: Songs of Liberty - a famous collection of revolutionary songs that were often played in the jukebox, and which included Nico's first and only single - beside the door. "We'll still make that song together."

Eli looked at the clock beside one of the beds. "It's almost time, girls."

"I shouldn't delay you any further, then," Mrs. Yazawa said, breathing deeply and preparing to head out. "The kids and I will be watching."

"We'll do our best!"

As they watched Mrs. Yazawa exit the room, they looked at each other again with smiles on their faces. Moments like that were what helped them keep hoping. It still seemed uncertain as to whether or not Nico could be cured of her infestation, but within them was a feeling that it was possible. They just had to wait, and keep believing.

"Let's go, girls!" Honoka said, and the other three cheered in response. As they made their way to the cantina they heard that the Raiders' troops successfully completed their mission with only minor casualties, which would mean a larger audience. None of them felt nervous at the realization - not even Umi, surprisingly.

The four of them were introduced by Joeyray, and the audience watched them expectantly. "Hello, everyone," Honoka started. "Before we begin, I'd like to say that this is another song dedicated to a very important person." Everyone in the audience nodded, knowing who they meant. "This song we made recently...it's a promise. We know that it doesn't seem possible, but we feel like it could be. We feel that, somehow, we'll be able to save her from what she's suffering from right now.

"Nico-chan, if you can hear this song, just as how we heard you before, please, don't lose hope. We'll come for you someday, and we'll rescue you." Honoka looked at Eli, who then started playing the guitar, and the four of them began singing their new song.

* * *

 _Hyperion Bridge_

A few hours later, Commander Jim Raynor, Admiral Matt Horner, and Dr. Ariel Hanson gathered around the star map.

"...conventional wisdom says a cure is impossible - the virus mutates too fast," Dr. Hanson said. "But I'll look into it."

Dr. Hanson reported that the Agria colonists seemed to have found a new home: an unclaimed planet called Haven, which sat near the edge of Protoss space. The possibility of any of Agria's colonists being infested was raised - and the Protoss were not known to mess around when it came to the Zerg - and eventually led to talk about trying to create a cure.

"Just do what you can," Raynor responded. "That's all anyone's asking." Developing one was all the more important now, since the colonists decided to pick a world near a species that harbored very ill will towards the Zerg. It would be very nasty should any sign of an infestation appear among the colonists. Just in case, he ordered Matt to set a course for Haven. They would have needed to check up on them anyways.

* * *

 _A/N: Fun fact, I actually replayed the Wings of Liberty campaign before writing this, just to refresh my memory of the game._

 _Other than that, there's not much else to say, except that I've already started work on the next chapter, so it should come out relatively soon (say, one week or two? Nah, kidding; my pace is weird, so I can't accurately predict when I'll finish the next chapter, but it shouldn't take longer than that)._

 _Also, random thought: I wonder what Mama Yazawa's first name is (and the rest of the cast's parents, for that matter)? But that's just another unsolved mystery in the wonderful world of Love Live!_


	10. Arc 1: Wings of Liberty - Chapter 10

_A/N: It's been a while, huh. Well, I'm back with a new chapter, I've begun work on the next one, I'll make another excuse for its delay (physical condition, in this case; the past two months have not been the best for me), and I'm gonna promise to not take too long again. And I'll end up breaking that promise. Rinse and repeat. Such is the Infinite Cycle._

 _But I'm not gonna let this die. Now then, onward to the end!_

* * *

 _Tyrador system_

The _Spiritual Power_ had just entered the Tyrador system, and was fast approaching their target planet. There was still no sign of the Zerg, allowing the Protoss expedition to set up their plans in relative peace.

They would have to contact the science vessel hovering above Tyrador VIII, and hope that the Terrans would be cooperative. Barring that, they would have to keep their distance for the meantime, and rely on the Golden Armada to hold off the Zerg force. And hope that the Terrans would finally agree to support them once it gets into their heads that they were the ones in danger.

* * *

 _Haven_

Little did the expedition of four know that the Protoss fleet was busy with another confrontation, on a planet sitting in the shadow of Protoss space.

"En Taro Tassadar, Selendis," Raynor greeted the Executor of the Golden Armada through the communications link. "Listen: with all due respect, your fleet needs to pull back. The people of Haven are no threat to you."

Haven lived up to its name, with suitable - close to ideal, even - conditions for life to flourish, and no prior signs of Zerg incursions. The latter, of course, had been thanks to the efforts of the Golden Armada in shutting down any infestations in the system. Agria's colonists had only recently established a settlement on Haven, but when Raynor's Raiders went over to check on the Haven settlement, they were unable to raise any contact. It was quickly discovered that the Golden Armada started disrupting all communications, and were preparing to fire upon the settlement when Raynor tried to intervene.

"Our observers detected Zerg hive spores infesting the colonists," Selendis replied matter-of-factly. It wasn't a far-off chance, either: despite the measures the Raiders took to contain the infested outbreak on Meinhoff, it was highly likely that not everybody made it out "clean". Nobody wanted another outbreak - _especially_ the Protoss, who lost their home world to the Zerg and would answer any and all infestations with fire and fury. "They must be purified. If you wish to take this mission in our stead, we will permit it," she allowed.

"Jim," Dr. Hanson, standing beside Raynor, spoke. "Some of my people are infested but you can't let the Protoss destroy them all! If you can keep the Protoss at bay, I know I can find a cure for the infestation."

"The only cure for infestation is purification by fire," Selendis countered. "You know this to be true, James Raynor."

"I can cure them, Jim - believe me!"

Raynor was put in a difficult spot. On one hand, he personally knew that all attempts so far to create a cure for the Zerg hyper-evolutionary virus were temporary successes at best: only delaying the inevitable, before the virus mutates to overwhelm or bypass the cure entirely. The Protoss, the most advanced beings in the sector, were unable to create a true cure for the virus. What would a lone Terran scientist achieve?

On the other hand, nobody else has tried making a cure for the virus ever since the Protoss attempt eventually failed. The usual excuse was that the virus simply mutated too quickly to be contained, but Dr. Hanson has taken that into account in her research ever since joining the Raiders, along with new information gleaned from the Zerg DNA samples gathered by the Raiders so far. And necessity - especially the desperate sort - has always been the mother of progress.

Raynor looked at Selendis on the screen, and then at Hanson. "...alright, then. I ain't gonna stand by while you wipe out a whole colony, Selendis. Not while there's still a chance we can save 'em."

There was no visible reaction from the Protoss Executor, as if she expected the answer. "Then it shall be an honor to meet you on the field of battle," Selendis responded. "Your reputation as a commander is most impressive. I trust you will live up to it-"

"Wait!"

Everyone present, including Selendis, were surprised at the interruption, and directed their attention towards the source: a young woman with brilliant orange hair and bright blue eyes.

Honoka herself was suddenly speechless at what she just did. She heard the exchange of words as she passed by the bridge on her way to the armory, and her lips parted on their own as her commander and the Protoss Executor arrived at a seemingly-inevitable resolution to their impasse. Looking at the stares of everyone in the room, she wanted to shrink away and get back to her own business, but...

"Yes, Lieutenant?" Horner asked, nodding to her. It seemed like he knew what she wanted to say, and Honoka nodded back, before taking a deep breath and approaching the communicator with renewed courage.

"Back in Mar Sara, I've always wanted to shine brightly," she began, searching for words to communicate how she felt. "Not for myself, but for everyone, so they can keep smiling, living, and hoping. I started singing because of that, and it was also why I chose to become a medic for the Raiders not long after. Helping people get back up, helping them take back their freedom, gave them hope. I believe that almost anything is possible, as long as there's still hope!

"Those people down there are still alive and not yet infested, right? They're still living, and still hoping. They can still be saved, I know they can! We just need a bit of time. We just need you to believe that there's still hope left." Through it all, Selendis could feel her emotions echoing through to her, and all of them could see her eyes burning intensely in the same radiant orange luster of her hair. "Please," Honoka pleaded as she stared directly towards the Protoss Executor. "Just let us have hope."

The bridge was silent for a few heavy moments, before Selendis started speaking again: "I...will give you hope, then, child. For your sake, I hope that what you say holds true." She then turned towards Raynor and Dr. Hanson. "The virus has yet to visibly manifest among those colonists, that is true. It is still incubating, and it will take three solar days at worst for the virus to fully infest their hosts. You have until then to prove this young girl's belief to me. Should it not be the case, then there is only one option left. You will not get in our way if that moment comes."

Selendis disconnected the link afterwards, and the atmosphere in the room was of both relief and disbelief. Dr. Hanson nearly collapsed to the ground if not for Raynor catching her, and while there was no one to catch Honoka as she collapsed, Matt was there to help her back on her feet.

"You've potentially saved my people, dear," Dr. Hanson said, embracing Honoka.

Raynor wasn't so sure yet, but he agreed with her ideals. "Let's not waste this chance, then. Doc, you better get back to working on that cure, pronto."

Dr. Hason let go of the medic and nodded. "I'll do everything I can." She then marched out from the bridge and headed back to the research lab.

Honoka was sitting on the floor again, still feeling weak from relief. It wasn't her finest moment, and throughout her little speech, she'd been terrified that she would be dead wrong, and she'll have wasted everyone's time for nothing.

However, the reassuring looks from her superior officers told her that, just maybe, she _was_ right, that there _was_ still a chance. "You did good back there," Raynor said, affirming her thoughts and dispelling the rest of her worries. "Now let's make good on that promise of hers. You're dismissed for now." He then turned to Horner: "Let's get some volunteers from the colonists. The doc's gonna want some testing done."

* * *

Honoka immediately went back to her quarters. Surprisingly, it wasn't just Kotori in there, and the latter greeted her with a warm embrace.

"We found out what happened on the bridge," Eli said. "It was pretty brave of you, going up there and saying all that."

"It was foolish of you to say those things so suddenly..." Umi started to scold her, but her expression then softened. "But you're right."

Kotori nodded in agreement and continued to hold Honoka, who was suddenly starting to feel embarrassed, and, after a while, doubtful again.

"I hope I am," Honoka said. "I don't want to lift everyone's hopes up when they shouldn't have been."

"That doesn't sound like the Honoka I came to know when we first heard you sing on stage." Umi gave her a reassuring smile, and a pat on the head. "For better or for worse, everyone has your back. You only said what everyone was feeling deep inside, after all."

"Umi-chan..."

Kotori broke off the hug but continued to hold Honoka's hand. "We'll rescue them," she said. "Just like how we promised to rescue Nico-chan." Kotori gave Honoka a bright smile, and it was Honoka's turn to initiate a hug, this time with Umi and Eli as well.

* * *

The next two days were hectic for the research team, as they fast-tracked the development of the cure for the Zerg hyper-evolutionary virus. Each cure sample was tested on a batch of mostly-inert infested tissue, and samples which showed promise were then applied to blood samples taken from volunteers among the colonists who were confirmed to be carriers of the virus.

Two days of non-stop work, with the fate of an entire colony at stake. Fatigue and pressure led to some mistakes, and thorough cross-checking of every result ate up even more time. But, against all odds, they succeeded. The eighteenth sample was the one that finally seemed to work, despite an apparent complication: one of the blood samples started to show signs of mutation as the Zerg virus started to wake up. However, the cure sample managed to not just control, but completely suppress the Zerg virus, isolating and "starving" it until no traces of the virus remained in the host sample. Immediately after confirming the result in other samples, a live test was conducted with all of the volunteers. The cure worked on them as hoped, with all volunteers showing no more signs of Zerg pathogens, and Dr. Hanson ordered the production of several batches of the cure, to be distributed among the infected colonists.

The timing could not have been more critical. The deadline the Protoss set was fast-approaching, and Selendis and her fleet closely monitored the distribution of the cure, all while preparing their massive Purifier Mothership - equipped with the infamous 'Planet Cracker' beam that can, at maximum energy output, burn the surface of an entire planet clean of all organic life - for purification of the Haven settlement should the Terrans fail in their gamble. There have been no communication whatsoever between the two factions throughout the two days, and as the third solar day approached, Selendis was about to inform Raynor that time was running short.

Perhaps fortunately for everyone involved, Protoss sensors noted the steady decline of Zerg hive spores following the distribution of the cure. After a follow-up scan, it seemed that there were no more signs of the Zerg hyper-evolutionary virus on the planet. Haven was once more free of Zerg.

* * *

At the helm of her flagship, Selendis strangely felt relief at having to call off the attack. Logic argued against her decision to place her trust in the strange orange-haired girl that spoke up to her. However, something else within her told her otherwise. 'That Terran is certainly special, isn't she?' Perhaps Fate has greater plans. And might these plans lead to a peaceful resolution to all this conflict?

Part of her wants to believe. Much like how she decided to believe in the Terran and her leap of faith. However, far too many have laid down their lives to see the destruction of their enemies. Far too many of her people have fallen in the fight against the Zerg, and far more are willing to sacrifice themselves to reclaim their homeworld, when the time comes. The same goes for the Terrans, who continue to fight each other even as they face annihilation against the Zerg. And the Zerg themselves were warlike creatures, bound to a collective mind and directed towards a single purpose: to consume all.

War was a grim reality in the Koprulu sector, and it would take the biggest of miracles to end this cycle. 'And perhaps this small act might signal such a miracle?' But she was not an oracle. She was a warrior, and warriors like her knew that true peace will come only when their enemies are gone.

Selendis then opened a communication line to the Hyperion, which has landed on the outskirts of the settlement. Beliefs aside, the Terrans did make good on their promise. That was something worth congratulating them for.

* * *

The former Agrians saw peace a little differently, and they knew that it truly had come to them, at least for the time being. The threat of a Zerg outbreak, as well as their potential eradication as a people at the hands of the Protoss, had been averted, and they were now free to start over with their lives in their new home, and independent of the Dominion's cruel reign. Dr. Hanson and the research team of Raynor's Raiders were credited for the creation of the cure to the Zerg hyper-evolutionary virus - which is now planned to be produced and distributed across other infested systems - but all of them knew that it was a young medic who gave them the time to develop the cure, and the hope that allowed them to believe that such a feat was possible.

 _Hyperion Bridge_

"Your research team was most impressive indeed, for achieving what we have failed to accomplish," Selendis said. "However, we know who truly deserves praise. Where is the young Terran?"

"She's over in the settlement," Raynor replied. "Putting up one last show for the colonists before we take our leave."

"Continuing to inspire hope, I see. Such a being is rare, James Raynor. Look after her." As she conversed with Raynor, she also had an observer direct its attention over the settlement. Missile turret sensors around the settlement detected the presence of the Protoss drone, but made no further action as Selendis proceeded to watch the performance of the orange-haired Terran. 'And fellows much like her, it seems.' "May Tassadar's spirit watch over her, and you, James Raynor."

The comm link was broken, and, after a while, the Protoss fleet started departing - coincidentally when Honoka, Kotori, Umi and Eli finished their performance. Raynor chuckled briefly, before heading out of the bridge.

* * *

"So, I guess this is goodbye, doc," Raynor said to Dr. Hanson, as they entered one of the Hyperion's airlocks. "I know you got a lot of cleaning to do here."

"We'll manage somehow," Hanson replied. "I just hope you boys stay out of trouble. We proved those Protoss wrong, so their pride might be a bit stung."

"If it's helping against the Zerg, they wouldn't mind one bit, I'm sure." He then pulled out a cigarette carton from his pocket, and withdrew one of the cigarettes.

As the outer airlock door opened, revealing the luscious woodland outside the Haven settlement, Dr. Hanson started to exit, but turned around to face Raynor. "You know, you could always stay here. Settle down, make a new start."

Raynor chuckled at the idea. It was something he stopped considering ever since he started his little group. "Guys like me don't get second chances, darlin'. We just gotta finish what we begun."

Raynor just put the cigarette in his mouth when Hanson then walked right in front of him, leaned over to his face, and gave him a kiss on the cheek. The cigarette fell to the ground, and Raynor just stared at Hanson, who quickly turned around and went to the open doorway.

"You're a good man, Jim Raynor." Hanson then stepped out of the airlock, and onto Haven. Raynor watched her depart, and then picked up his cigarette from the floor.

"Hmph, I ain't that good."

A while later, the four singers - 'I wonder if they've given their little quartet a name,' Raynor briefly wondered - and the medical team with them, who distributed the cure among the colonists, entered the airlock as well. They all gave Raynor a salute as the outer doors closed.

"You all did well back there," Raynor started. "The settlement's safe, and everyone in it's free of the Zerg virus. You all deserve some congratulations for that." Smiles were shared among the gathered crowd as the inner doors opened. "We'll be leaving and looking for another mission shortly, so you all rest up for now."

The crowd then dispersed, with Raynor and the medical team heading for the cantina, and the group of four heading to their separate quarters - until Honoka and Kotori suggested a sleepover at their quarters. Umi, of course, instantly rejected, saying that there wasn't enough bed space for them all, but when the former two told them they would be laying down sleeping mats on the floor, Eli was quickly on-board with the idea, and Umi was basically pressured into agreeing - she just couldn't resist the two's pleading faces.

When the Hyperion finally departed from Haven, Umi found herself between Honoka and Kotori, while Eli wisely opted for one of the beds to give the three of them ample space.

'Eli!'

The blonde quietly giggled in response and continued to feign ignorance of Umi's 'problem', as Honoka and Kotori snuggled comfortably beside the blue-haired girl, who fell asleep only after getting tired from repeatedly convincing herself that there was nothing wrong with the situation she was in.

Eli eventually rejoined them down on the mats, but still kept a respectable distance from the trio. Honoka would unconsciously drag Eli towards them after a while.

* * *

 _A/N: So, quite the departure from the main story, even compared to the others. But that's how it goes in this version of the Koprulu Sector._ _Our Terran idols will be crossing paths with the rest of the cast soon._

 _How soon? Well...you know how it goes. Until then, keep hope alive!_


	11. Arc 1: Wings of Liberty - Chapter 11

_Science vessel Columbus_  
 _Low orbit above Tyrador VIII_

The _Explorer_ -class science vessels have been in service with Terrans for decades, for both war and peace. These starships are used for a wide variety of research and development purposes, with several stationed across several points in the Koprulu Sector and beyond to observe and study anomalous phenomena using the vessels' powerful electronic sensors. These same sensors are also what made science vessels an indispensable part of the Terran arsenal, as they are capable of seeing through even the most powerful of active cloaking fields, as well as detecting even the most minute of disturbances on surfaces which may imply the presence of burrowed threats. They have other support functions that were implemented shortly after the first Great War, such as the defensive matrix (which can absorb even the most powerful of attacks and greatly minimize the damage they deal), a short-range electromagnetic pulse (which can be produced at a distance with the use of missiles), and high-energy irradiation for biological targets; for the most part, however, their most valuable use in battle is still their detection systems.

As of late, science vessels have seen less use in Terran forces, having largely been replaced in the Dominion by the Raven, an advanced remote-controlled drone with a semi-independent AI and equally-impressive sensors, as well as better offensive and defensive utility than the more expensive manned vessel. However, the science vessels still perform their functions as mobile research platforms, gathering data from all over the sector to fuel Terran scientific progress.

Another function that science vessels still serve is for Ghost "repairs": as all active science vessels still hold files about the Terran Ghost Program, a specialized section of the crew aboard these vessels is almost always dedicated to medical aid for the psionic agents when they're out in the field - conventional medical personnel and facilities are usually prohibited (and often unable) to perform medical operations for the more sensitive parts of a Terran Ghost. Even in dire circumstances, field medics can only perform surface and non-sensitive organ healing to ensure that a Ghost can at least call in a science vessel for a full "repair".

That's what the Protoss expedition led by Praetor Rin learned from the commander of the _Columbus,_ at least. The ship's cybernetic commander was very cooperative upon learning of the imminent threat. He expected that one of the science vessels currently in service would be targeted after they identified the spike of psionic energy a few weeks ago, of course - no science vessel crew would forget the fate of the _Amerigo_ \- but it surprised him that it took so long before the Zerg made their move.

The plan outlined by the Protoss was simple enough: the Terran Dominion was already alerted of the situation (though the cooperation with the Protoss was understandably kept under wraps), and with Tyrador VIII being both an important R&D site and in close proximity to its sister and Terran core world, Tyrador IX, the Dominion Navy would most likely allocate a substantial force to try and repel the invading Swarm. It was expected that the Princess of Blades would try to slip through the battle to infiltrate the _Columbus,_ and, should she succeed, that's where the Protoss expedition and the vessel's own security crew would come in: the combined force would ambush the infested Terran, and eliminate her before she reaches the main supercomputer. It would be a mainly-Protoss show, with the security crew providing support against the Zerg minions the Princess of Blades is expected to bring, as well as the vessel's internal security systems to slow her down and possibly weaken her before the confrontation.

The Protoss Fleet, on the other hand, would remain on standby, ready to warp in on Rin's signal. Five leviathans' worth of Zerg is a lot, but should be manageable for what the Dominion would bring, or so the science vessel's commander assured. He based it on the information the Protoss provided along with current data on the Dominion's available battle groups.

"So unless external variables come into play, this battle is well within the capabilities of the Dominion Navy," the vessel's commander stated. "We need only worry about our quarry. What are her capabilities?"

"Still developing," Nozomi replied. "Her physical prowess is undeniable: her mutation massively amplified her strength, and her movements showed that she also had advanced close-combat training. Psionically, on the other hand, it was obvious that she had only recently started using her potential, demonstrating it in combat through telekinesis only, and tiring herself after each use.

"However, her potential is _vast._ My apprentice and I managed to get close enough to consider assassinating her - but it was because she allowed us to get close. She could sense our presence, and see through our cloaking as if it didn't exist. Her control over the Zerg is almost on par with the Queen of Blades herself as well."

"She could have nasty surprises up her sleeve, then." The commander pondered this. "With this information, as well as the possibility for unknown variables...do you think that an ambush is still feasible?"

"Certainly," High Templar Maki answered before Nozomi could speak. She and Hanayo had mostly remained silent throughout the meeting, but her mind was not so idle. "She knows only of the Dark Templar's presence. Rin and I had our presence obscured within our ship during our encounter with her, so she is unaware of us. Even though I used a psionic storm during our escape, I channeled it from within, so she would not be certain if it came from a High Templar or it was merely a defensive weapon on the ship, especially since she does not know of its capabilities. That uncertainty is our advantage.

"She will expect to overwhelm this planet's defenses, and slip into the ship while her Swarm invades the surface. She will be expecting the two Dark Templar, perhaps three, along with whatever resistance this ship would offer. She will also expect that the Templar will have infiltrated the ship beforehand, and strike during the chaos that her assault would make. However, what she would not expect is a coordinated attack on her from the Nerazim, the Khalai, and the Terrans. She would not expect us to stand together against her and her minions, nor the swift response of the Terran fleet. Surprise is on our side."

"Quite confident, aren't we?" Nozomi said, with a touch of pride. Maki's shoulder-length locks started burning in her color and bathed her face in its glow, giving the impression of a blush.

"I-I simply based my assumptions on the information we've collected, and on what we know about her." Maki then started twirling her locks with her finger, as she was wont to do in such situations. Behind her, Hanayo chuckled silently - the first positive emotion she'd shown since the encounter at Meinhoff. "Our biggest advantage is that the Princess of Blades is severely inexperienced in fighting against the Protoss - let alone a well-prepared coalition. Along with our other tactical advantages, we have a good chance of stopping her."

Rin, of course, was exponentially more expressive than the rest. "I knew it was a good _nya_ idea to bring you along, Maki-chan!" she said excitedly, smothering the High Templar with a hug. The latter was unable to react in time, and thus could not properly repel the Praetor.

"Rin, get off!"

"Quite the lively crowd we have here," the commander noted, chuckling as well. "Now, then. It seems like we have reached a consensus for our course of action." The four Protoss nodded in agreement. "Shall we make preparations before the Zerg arrive, then?" A holographic table was then raised in front of the commander, and the plans of each level of the _Columbus_ was projected on it. The commander then began detailing the defensive arrangements the Princess of Blades will have to endure before the final confrontation.

* * *

 _Planetary defense platform_  
 _Tyrador VIII geostationary orbit_

Dominion core worlds are often orbited by a small network of platforms; these platforms have a variety of functions, ranging from orbital docking areas, to staging grounds for deep-space expeditions, to even habitation when the planet below has reached its population carrying capacity. More commonly for the Dominion core worlds and specific plants which hold strategic importance to the Dominion, however, most of their orbital platforms are equipped with powerful early-warning systems and anti-ship defenses. As such, these platforms need to be overrun before a proper invasion of a Dominion planet could even begin, as attempting to storm the planet from orbit often ends with severe casualties for the invading force.

Which is why the blaring early-warning sensors worried the current crew of Tyrador VIII's planetary defense platform. There was no visual confirmation of the oncoming threat yet, but, based solely on the sheer number picked up by their scanners coming from southeast of their position, the invaders could not be mistaken for any other entity in the sector. The powerful psionic signature radiating within the signatures merely confirmed the platform crew's fears.

Suddenly, the sensors picked up another incoming unknown force. A large cluster of biological signatures started appearing from the southwest. And much like the force picked up earlier, a powerful psionic signature was present in its midst.

The platform commander's hand turned cold. He was informed of an incoming Zerg threat led by a powerful infested psionic...but not _two._ The central control station erupted in panic as personnel scrambled to defensive positions and hastily activated the platform's pulse cannons.

* * *

 _Hyperion_  
 _Hours later_

Raynor's Raiders had just exited warp space and was closing in on Tyrador VIII, after accepting a mission given to them by the Moebius Foundation's head, Dr. Emil Narud. Dr. Narud showed relief when the Raiders established communications, and expressed his gratitude. In front of the ship was a chaotic skirmish between what seemed to be the entire Zerg Swarm and the fragmented remnants of a clearly overwhelmed Dominion Squadron.

"Looks like you got one heck of a Zerg problem here," Raynor began as he and the bridge personnel watched the rest of the Dominion ships get overrun. He wasn't overly surprised. It's happened in so many planets now that the best option for an imminent Zerg invasion was usually mass evacuation. "Where do you need us?"

"We're ready to evacuate, but none of the teams I sent to purge the Foundation data cores have reported back!" Dr. Narud replied urgently. "I need you to destroy those cores before the Queen of Blades finds them and discovers the coordinates of the remaining artifacts. The fate of the entire sector could hang in the balance!"

"Class-twelve psi pattern detected," the adjutant interrupted, immediately followed by the monitor displaying the source. "Recommend extreme caution."

 _"Kerrigan..."_ There was no doubt about it. Even her silhouette was such a recognizable figure, and her very presence on Tyrador VIII meant that there was something she wanted and would personally hunt for on the planet. "Alright then Doc, our timetable's shorter than we thought. We gotta move!"

The _Hyperion_ then made a small warp jump to bypass the Zerg invasion force. Afterwards, dropships were immediately dispatched to the Moebius research campus, followed by a command center to rapidly establish a foothold on the ground.

As the dropships descended, Shadowguard Umi Sonoda, riding one of the ships with her fellow Shadowguard, a squad of marines, and her two medic friends, noticed a science vessel that was still strangely untouched by the nearby conflict. It still hung in geostationary orbit, and seemed to be still operating. 'It's strange to see one of those still operational.'

'An _Explorer_ -class vessel?' Eli noted. 'It doesn't seem to be participating in the current conflict.'

'Perhaps it's doing so covertly-wait...' She then saw a Zerg Overlord approach the vessel. The lumbering Zerg spacefarer, which helped exert control over the Zerg Swarm, approached the Terran vessel, and forced itself onto the vessel's docking bays. 'I feel a strong psionic presence within that overlord...don't you feel like this has happened before?'

'Perhaps it has.' Eli stood up and went over to the pilot. "Please head towards that science vessel," she ordered. "I'll explain later."

* * *

"The Zerg...boarding a science vessel?" Raynor repeated after Eli relayed what she and her partner saw. Immediately, old reports started flooding in. And they weren't good ones. "I'm glad you informed me." He then addressed the rest of the dropship's occupants: "You all have new orders: board that vessel and find out what the Zerg are up to. The rest of us'll continue with the mission."

* * *

 _Science vessel Columbus_

"Our target has boarded," the vessel's commander observed, watching the feed from the security camera at the docking bay. He had to allow a disgusting overlord to latch onto his ship for this...but it was a small matter compared to the fate of the sector. "There's a sizeable pack of hydralisks and roaches with her. No zerglings to lead the charge and catch bullets, but I suppose the roaches and their robust carapaces will do that job."

"No real problem for a Templar's psi blades," Maki noted. "Or my psionic storm, for that matter.

"Regardless, their numbers should be considerably thinned by the time they arrive at the lowest level of the ship," Nozomi said. The Princess of Blades and her minions would have to fight through four levels of the ship's interior before they reached the ship's lowest level, located on which is the secure room which housed the supercomputer holding the Ghost Program files. "Remember to tell your warriors not to engage them head-on. Let your automated systems bear the brunt of their attacks, but we must avoid unnecessary casualties."

"The most logical tactic, given our situation." With their limited numbers, and plenty of space between the Zerg and their objective, the combined Protoss and Terran force will have to trade space for time, to fight a moving battle against the Zerg, slowly bleeding their forces out until they are capable of dealing the finishing blow.

* * *

"Hmph," Nico said as she surveyed the docking bay, and seeing no threats. The plan is going as planned so far: Kerrigan has a target of interest on this planet, providing a perfect distraction for the Terrans to allow her to raid the science vessel in orbit without having to worry about any interruptions.

At least from the Dominion. The psionic energy she sensed somewhere on the ship reminded her that it wasn't just the Terrans that were involved. The Protoss were here. Lurking in the shadows, she was sure, possibly waiting for the Terrans to wear her out before trying to stab her in the back.

They will find their end here. The roaches and hydralisks she personally picked were the fiercest veterans of their invasion of Meinhoff. They tore through defensive lines which held firm against the infested, and slaughtered every Terran that crossed their path. More importantly, in environments where their lives would have been measured in hours, they outlived the others that struck before and with them.

Surely, a small group of Terran soldiers on a ship which has never seen combat, and cut off from their forces, would pose no problem. And while the Protoss might destroy her minions, their strength and ferocity would leave those fools crippled, and she would deal the final blow. Perhaps, even, after showing them the futility of their resistance, as she lays claim to the Ghost Program files to help fully realize her psionic potential.

She saw her reflection on a pane of glass leaning on the wall, and inspected herself. She then held her chest. "Could've made them even a bit bigger..." she muttered under her breath. Still, she was cute. The cutest being in the universe, even. Her small frown changed to a smug smile as she raised both her hands, with both index fingers, pinky fingers and thumbs extended outward, and then lowered them one by one to the side of her head as she made a big smile.

 _"Nico Nico Nii!"_

The moment lasted for a few seconds before she realized that her minions were looking at her, and she immediately turned around and dropped her hands.

"What are you staring at?" Nico crossly asked. "Get a move on already!" The hydralisks and roaches were more or less indifferent at the outburst, and diligently proceeded to force the door leading out of the docking bay open. Nico sighed and shook her head, before psionically cracking the glass and following her minions.

"What is going on with me?"

* * *

 _A/N: It's been a long while again. But the eve of contact is finally at hand. This won't be pretty._

 _I'll get the next chapters out as quickly as I can._


	12. Arc 1: Wings of Liberty - Chapter 12

_Science vessel Columbus_  
 _Low orbit above Tyrador VIII_

"We can fully track their movements from here," the science vessel's commander said, as he and his Protoss guests watched the Princess of Blades and her minions cautiously exit the docking bay from the camera feed. There was no sign of resistance from any of the security troops so far, though a small ambush was prepared for when the Zerg reach the end of the hallway, which leads to the second of four levels leading to the their objective.

* * *

Apparently sensing a threat, the Princess of Blades stopped and gestured to her minions to do the same. Her intuition proved to be correct when a trio of gun turrets hidden under the floor rose and engaged the Zerg, but she reacted just in time to leap behind the safety of her roaches, whose thick carapace easily shrugged off the small-caliber fire. Their acid saliva made short work of the turrets, and the Princess of Blades looked around afterwards to check for any other traps.

"Hmph, is this all the resistance that this ship can offer?" she taunted loudly, fully aware that the ship's crew was likely tracking her movements. Afterwards, she and her minions were on the move again, and she had the good sense to let her roaches take the lead this time. It made for slower progress due to their heavy exoskeletons, but she could afford to trade time for her safety. With the rest of the Swarm busy down in the planet below, there would likely be no other Zerg to reinforce her.

* * *

On the other side of a reinforced door, a squad of marines trained their weapons at it as they heard the approaching horde. They had orders to only harry the Zerg force and let the automated defenses bog them down until they can be dealt with more easily - an order which they were more than happy to follow. They were relieved that their commander had the sense to not throw them at the enemy - 'Unlike the idiot who was in charge of the _Amerigo...'_ the squad's leader thought.

A loud crash was heard, and the door bulged. It seems like one of the Zerg used itself as a battering ram, though it would take much more than that to bust down 5 cm of reinforced neosteel. What followed the crash, though, was what would be enough to eventually destroy it: the sound of acid making contact with metal.

"Positions, people!" the squad leader ordered. That acid saliva was a threat in any battle against the Zerg, being capable of eating through even the thickest combat suits and tank hulls - and if it weren't for the fact that roaches were limited to being able to hit only ground targets, even battlecruisers providing close ground support would have been having problems with them. "Remember your orders, men: hold for as long as possible, but don't die. Fall back if you need to, but make sure you make it hurt for them."

Finally, the concentrated attacks from the roaches proved too much for the door to handle, and the acid melted a gaping hole open. Once again, the roaches took the lead, and Nico saw the teleporter pad which would lead to the next level of the ship. She also sensed enemy soldiers waiting in ambush...

Once again, several tiles of the floor rose up, and the automated turrets were quick to engage. This time, however, there were missile-equipped turrets behind the front row of gun turrets, and their payloads were specifically made to deal with heavy armor or thick Zerg exoskeletons. Adding to their firepower was the marines, engaging from elevated platforms with their Gauss rifles.

"Ugh, cowards!" Nico shouted, as her roaches were buckling from the missile fire. Regardless, she made them advance, allowing the hydralisks hiding behind them to eventually get within range. Expertly-aimed needle spines - released at velocities high enough to make holes in battlecruiser armor - knocked out the turrets, and at the same time, the Marines started falling back to the teleporter pad when the hydralisks started firing at them, though no spines connected with any of the marines due to the firing angle they were forced to take. Nico started to give chase, only to be stopped by another pair of gun turrets, and she was forced to dodge the continuous hail of bullets until she personally destroyed them with her brute strength. By then, however, the marines were long gone.

She looked back to her minions: four roaches had fatal cracks on their carapaces from the missiles, and one caught bullets in the only chink in a roach's armor: the eyes. The rest of the roaches were wounded in varying degrees, and even some of the hydralisks sustained injuries during the counterattack. Nico herself was grazed by a few bullets on her arms, although they already started regenerating rapidly. She had the roaches burrow through the steel floor to recover. They weren't capable of burrowing deeply enough to simply dig their way to the next level, but they were still deep enough to effectively conceal themselves. And while it wasn't soil or creep, the metal floor was made of material sufficient enough for the roaches, which were already absorbing what nutrients they could extract and quickly metabolizing them to mend their wounds at a rapid pace. The hydralisks, on the other hand, didn't have or evolve such hyper-regenerative traits, so they stayed on the surface to guard against any more surprises.

She's lost a tenth of her combat strength. She had to be wary of any further battles, especially now that she's seen what the Terrans were up to: trying to bleed her forces out and slowly whittle them while keeping out of harm's reach themselves. 'Whoever their commander is, he's playing it smart,' she conceded. Still, the casualties were expected. Even though she only had a handful of turrets to show for it, she should still have sufficient numbers to take on the defending force when they decide to fight to the last. Moreover, that same tactic the Terran commander is playing could mean that he doesn't have as many men to fight with as she expected, which means that every marine she can kill is going to be a noticeable blow to the defending force.

The roaches rose from their short-lived burrows shortly afterwards, with even the most serious of wounds on their carapace completely gone. She and her minions then moved to the teleporter pad, with the roaches once again taking the lead. They need to be quicker this time, and give the defenders no time to fall back.

* * *

Back in the docking bay, the overlord that dropped the Princess of Blades off has already gone off to link up with the now-concluding conflict around the planetary defenses of Tyrador VIII. This allowed the dropship carrying the small detachment of Raynor's Raiders to unload its passengers in safety, and it left shortly afterwards to transport more troops to the planet's surface, where the main fighting force of the Raiders was already establishing a position in the Moebius Foundation's research campus.

Another would come when Eli, the chosen leader of the group, calls in for evac - or potentially backup, in which case it would blaze in with a squad of marines and marauders to reinforce the group. They didn't yet know exactly what force they were dealing with, although they were certain from the psionic emanations alone that Nico was part of it. They were quick to figure out what she came here for: even though she wasn't a Ghost, she could still learn from the training files of the Ghost Program to unlock and maximize her potential - and without any restrictive conditioning to go through. A psionic of her rating would be a devastating force on her own, even with limiters - just how much destruction could she sow without?

Of course, they only needed to remember Kerrigan to find the answer. It made the mission all the more vital: they had to stop Nico from acquiring the Ghost Program files.

"We'll scout ahead," Eli said, as she and Umi activated their personal cloaking. "Marines, advance cautiously. Honoka, Kotori, we'll relay our findings to you telepathically." The two Shadowguards then silently stepped past the destroyed door leading away from the docking bay.

* * *

"Hm, what's this?" the vessel commander wondered aloud when he saw the new force on the security feed. They didn't radio in, nor did he receive any transmission about arriving troops from any channel, Dominion or otherwise.

"Allies of yours, commander?" Maki asked.

"I...don't know..." he replied, recognizing the insignia on the shoulder plates of the marines. 'The Raiders? Here?' He then remembered the distress signal sent out by the Moebius Foundation earlier, when the Zerg Swarm started invading. 'Maybe that's it.'

The Swarm. That was another thing he was wondering about, now that he's shifted his focus from the intruders on his ship. With how effortlessly they swept away both the planetary defenses and the Dominion squadron - 'External variables, was it?' he thought dryly - they had every chance to simply overwhelm this ship if their Princess of Blades wanted to get a hold of the Ghost Program files. 'Perhaps she's trying to prove herself. Perhaps this is simply a personal pursuit, and the Swarm's main objective was really on Tyrador VIII. Perhaps it's both.' In any case, it made this plan he agreed on with the Protoss actually viable.

"James Raynor and his soldiers are certainly allies of the Protoss, however," Nozomi observed, also noting the unmistakable symbol of the famous Terran revolutionary group. The commander's eyebrows shot up in mild surprise...but he then nodded in realization. Raynor and all the assistance he's given to the Protoss in their darkest hours during the first Great War and the Brood War would have been well-known among the Protoss. It was certainly known within the Dominion - Dominion propaganda usually glosses over the heroics and simply paints it as Raynor consorting with aliens to bring down humanity, however. Knowing that his Protoss guests trust the Raiders, though, gave him relief. That's one less potential enemy that they had to consider...

And one more potential ally to fight alongside them instead. If the Raiders sent a team to the vessel, then they probably detected the overlord's approach earlier. Their current force was composed of a squad of marines, with two medics providing support, as well as a pair of what seemed to be Ghost operatives - part of the commander was slightly concerned about the Ghosts, which could mean that either they were defectors, or the Raiders somehow figured out how to train Ghosts...but that question was best left to the future.

"Can we open a channel to them?"

* * *

'Wait.'

Eli froze, and Umi followed only a moment later. They had just finished inspecting the remnants of what appeared to be a recent skirmish between the intruders and the vessel's security systems - four dead roaches and nine punctured metal husks where floor tiles used to be - when they started sensing a different psionic signature somewhere on the ship.

'Protoss.' The two carefully lowered their visors onto their eyes, and their field of view changed: a grid started appearing onto ever surface of their surroundings, with the still-fresh roach corpses being highlighted briefly before darkening, as their visors confirmed that those bio-signatures were already deceased. The visors were now periodically sending scanning pulses to constantly update their owners of their current surroundings, and the sensitivity of their sensors despite the size are often enough to sense a cloaked entity's presence within up to 20 meters.

"Greetings, Raiders," a soft voice echoed towards them from...somewhere.

'What are they doing here?' Umi wondered.

'This also happened with Kerrigan, if memory serves right,' Eli replied. Elements of the Protoss Expeditionary Force led by the late Executor Tassadar had been able to both detect and pinpoint the location of Kerrigan during the first Great War from her psionic emanations during incubation.

Surely they've tried to keep eyes on Nico since her (re)birth, and are maybe even planning on stop her altogether. 'Then we should have the same general objectives. What do we do?'

'Let's try to talk, then.' Eli decloaked herself, though she ordered her partner to stay hidden, just in case these Protoss weren't in the mood for an alliance. The latter also ordered the rest of the squad to advance cautiously. "Greetings," she called out loud. "I presume the Protoss are also after the infested Terran on this ship?"

"Our goals appear to be aligned, then." A Protoss figure stepped phased into view in front of the teleporter pad, with her dormant shadow scythe on her back.

'The physical differences between Protoss men and women are certainly striking,' Eli thought idly. 'Along with the differences between the...Khalai and Nerazim Protoss, was it?' She'd read about the Protoss and watched them in videos during her time in the Shadowguard academy, as was a standard part of their training: the twilight-colored skin of the Nerazim - mainly due to over a millennia of development without the direct light of a sun thanks to their exile to Shakuras - made them easily distinguishable from their gray-skinned kin. Added to that are the differences between male and female Protoss: in the illustrations and videos she's seen, all the Protoss were males, with lean but sturdy figures and rugged features. Until today, she'd never seen a female Protoss, much less in person.

The figure who stood before her and her partner could be described as shapely: aside from the obviously smoother skin and the more rounded face, she also had a surprisingly curvy body which was emphasized by her armor and robes. 'Especially around the chest area...who knew that even Protoss...'

'Eli.' The blonde was shaken from her thoughts by the stern tone of Umi's thoughts. She nearly forgot that her thoughts were basically an open channel to her partner as well... 'Just what kind of shameless thoughts are you entertaining in your mind right now?'

'I-It was just surprise! Nothing more, alright?' Eli cleared her throat and placed her free hand on her mouth to cover the growing blush on her face. 'Shouldn't you be just as surprised to see a female Protoss for yourself for the first time?'

'Nobody would think such indecent thoughts as mere 'surprise'...'

"You two seem to have quite the mental spar going on," the Dark Templar spoke up again, this time with a hint of amusement in her voice. Umi decloaked in surprise, seeing that her supposedly covert communications with her partner seemed to have been compromised. "Worry not, for I was only able to tell from your golden-haired friend's expressions, and you revealed a trace of your presence with your emotion.

"Now, I shall be quick: I am Nozomi, Prelate of the Dark Templar." Nozomi stepped forward and bowed. "I am here on a mission with my comrades to stop the Princess of Blades."

"That's how she's called, huh?" Umi remarked. "Fitting,I suppose."

"We're special agents attached with Raynor's Raiders to neutralize the Princess of Blades," Eli introduced herself and her partner to Nozomi, as the rest of the Raiders' group caught up. More introductions were exchanged, and the marines were relieved to find actually friendly Protoss. So far, their encounters with them weren't exactly on good terms.

"Since the only direct route towards the supercomputer room is the one the Zerg are already taking, our best course of action would be to simply follow at a safe distance, and trap the enemy between our forces when the time is right," Umi proposed.

Nozomi nodded. That was exactly what she and the ship commander had in mind when they discussed this earlier. "Then we shall meet again at the lowermost level of the ship. Stay safe for the meantime."

"Of course." Eli smiled confidently, eliciting a similar expression in the Dark Templar - although Nozomi expressed it with her eyes alone, but it was understandable enough for Eli. The former then disappeared in a puff of smoke, while the Raiders stepped onto the teleporter pad, with Eli and Umi once again cloaking and taking point.

* * *

 _A/N: Exactly a month since the last update._

 _Right, then, you know what's coming. Everybody's gonna meet up soon, and things are going to get a little messy.  
_


	13. Arc 1: Wings of Liberty - Chapter 13

_Science vessel Columbus_

The remains of floor-mounted auto-turrets littered the halls as Shadowguard agents Eli and Umi advanced ahead of the Raiders' group. The trail of destruction Nico and her minions left made it easy for the Terrans to track the Zerg force's movements, as well as for the Raiders to help keep their distance.

For the most part, it had been mainly gun turrets that ambushed Nico and her forces. A rotating flame turret that activated when they reached an intersection surprised them briefly, but the roaches easily ignored the fire and were quick to dispatch of its source. Everything seemed to be going smoothly.

Except, however, for the fact that they have not spotted a single member of the vessel's security force since the first skirmish on the upper level, nor even an inkling of the Protoss since setting foot on the vessel. There was still that faint presence she felt, but it only served to remind her that they were _somewhere_ on the ship. Had they been a little closer, she might be able to pinpoint their location down to a specific area, but so far it seems like the Protoss were content with waiting. Possibly slinking about on the ship, far enough to not expose themselves to her, but close enough to be able to track her movements.

'Let's see...' She had the plans of the _Columbus_ mostly committed to memory...or at least the parts covering the route she chose. Ahead of her was...

* * *

The marines awaited behind the tables of the mess hall, tipped sideways to serve as makeshift barriers. They wouldn't completely stop a hydralisk's needle spine, but would absorb a roach's acid saliva, and the former would lose kinetic energy penetrating the tables to ensure that the marines' ballistic-alloy combat shields, a recent addition that they picked up from the ship's tech bay, would be able to handle the spines. The 30mm bonded carbide shields, mounted on their shoulder guards to ensure that both hands were still free, were lightweight, and, from battlefield reports, were surprisingly capable of absorbing attacks that would have otherwise been instantly lethal to most marines. Every bit of protection was necessary to ensure that they would not lose a single man until their last stand.

Of course, the marines would not be directly exposing themselves to the enemy. Turrets - more like the ones fabricated and deployed by Ravens and not the built-in defenses on the ship - were scattered at several points in front of the marine positions, hiding behind tables as well for further protection.

Once again, the tense silence was broken by the sound of acid dissolving the metal door, and the roaches quickly emerged and formed a tight arc as they advanced, affording the less armored hydralisks and the Princess of Blades protection from the hail of bullets that was sure to come.

Come it did, when the turrets in front detected the advancing Zerg. Once targets were identified, the turrets and marines rapidly poured continuous fire at the center of mass of their targets, but all it managed to accomplish at best was to make dents in the roaches' carapace. The roaches were able to get in range, and their acid saliva made short work of the turrets and the tables they hid behind. Meanwhile, the hydralisks were also able to get within accurate attacking range of the entrenched marines, and they unleashed their own volleys. As the marines had hoped, the tables didn't do much to stop the hydralisks' spines, but did sufficiently slow them down for their shields to effectively hold against them. Through it all, the marines continued to attack, this time directing their fire at the seemingly exposed heads of the hydralisks sticking up from behind the line of roaches.

Standard combat doctrine published in the Dominion Marine Corps Field Manual was for marines to aim for a hydralisk's head, since it was the obvious target for every other Zerg and the fact that it also seemed to be a hydralisk's center of mass. However, field experience told a much different story, proven once again here as bullets were either flattened by the thick carapace plates covering the hydralisk's head, or buried themselves in too shallowly to cause major damage. They weren't as thick as a roach's armored shells - and the rest of the hydralisk's body was a different story - but, as one marine detailed in a rough "revision" of the field manual: "Shoot 'em in the chest, idiots."

Of course, the roaches were in front to specifically protect against this. Slowly, the Zerg phalanx pushed closer towards the marines and the rest of the turrets.

"Alright, boys, time to fall back again!" the squad leader called, and the marines retreated to the door, still facing the Zerg and continuing to fire as they did.

"Not so fast!" Nico jumped over her minions and towards the retreating Terran force, while crossing her arms to shield her head from the incoming fire she attracted with her action. Bullets grazed her as she descended, but none would make any lasting injury as she hit the ground and pursued the marines.

"Come on!" the leader urged, and the squad made it behind the door leading out of the mess hall, but the door was closing a little too slowly for their liking. One of the marines went back in to hold off the Princess of Blades while the door closed.

"You'll have to get through me first, you freak!" the marine taunted, shooting at her as he drew her away from the closing door. Nico managed to close the gap and engaged with her wings, but the marine was surprisingly fast on his feet despite the heavy combat suit and shield, and he rolled sideways to dodge the attack and extended his rifle's bayonet to retaliate. Nico managed to dodge the jabs and fought back with a relentless assault from her wings. They made contact with the shield and easily punctured it, and the marine was forced to detach it as Nico's wings tore it apart. Not giving any pause, she then attacked with her razor-sharp claws this time, swiping them rapidly at the marine. The marine used his rifle to block, but the attacks swept it out of his hands, and the only weapons he had left were his fists.

However, the first punch he threw was also his last, as Nico intercepted and gripped the marine's arm and used both her strength and the momentum to lift the marine directly over her head, before slamming him down back with near-lethal force. A deep stab from her wing through the marine's chest finished the job.

But the marine's sacrifice served its purpose, as the door had long been shut during the melee. The roaches were already making short work of the door, however, and once it was open, Nico did another count of her forces. No fatalities this time, only wounds on the hydralisks and roaches (which the latter could recover from in little time). The Zerg were the ones who drew blood in this engagement, and they were eager to spill more. When the door opened, Nico led the charge this time, destroying every turret along her path while her minions tried to catch up.

* * *

In the mess hall, the Raiders and the Shadowguard team surveyed the recent battlefield. It was obvious that a fight had taken place, and the Zerg won cleanly: unlike earlier, there were no Zerg casualties around, and plenty of Terran ones: mostly the auto-turrets, but also a single marine. The Shadowguards' visors already showed that he was well and truly dead, but Honoka and Kotori went over to him regardless. However, not even the best medical equipment in the sector would be able to reverse brain death or reconstruct a ravaged heart, and they arrived too late for this one. With a deep sigh, Honoka opened the marine's visor and closed his eyes. Kotori then retrieved the dogtag around his neck before closing the visor again. It was a practice they picked up from Raynor himself, who collected as many of his fallen men's tags after every battle, at least when possible, and marking their graves with their tags and rifles.

But the rest of the ritual would have to wait. They had their mission to accomplish. The Raiders continued following Nico's trail, but before that, one of the marines retrieved the fallen's rifle and handed it to their medics. It had a scratch from what they could only assume to be claws on it, but it was still functional.

"Just in case, I guess," he said, before rejoining his squad.

Honoka and Kotori looked at each other. Both of them were trained in operating firearms and were decent shots with a Gauss rifle, but their purpose as medics wasn't to fight. Regardless, Honoka took the rifle and slung it onto her back, and the two medics caught up with their squadmates. If they can't make a grave, then a small monument would do.

'Nico is moving faster this time,' Umi reported. Their visors revealed the presence of the Zerg force close by, but not Nico's. Moreover, they weren't moving in an organized formation this time.

'They want to finish this in a hurry,' Eli supposed. 'Which might be the right course of action they should take in this case.' The ship's security force had managed to setup their ambushes due to her cautious pace, but it seems like she's picked that up and adjusted her actions accordingly. She could take down the turrets in their path with ease, and simply wait for her minions to catch up before engaging in another skirmish.

'If a reckless one.' The hydralisks were certainly fast, but Nico was faster. And they didn't need to talk about the sluggishness of the roaches off of creep. It did, however, give Eli an idea, which Umi picked up almost instantly. 'Don't tell me...'

'We can do a little damage on our own, right? And we would be able to evade retaliation while doing so.'

'The circumstances do permit such a tactic.' Nico's forces were committing a classic mistake in military strategy: her forces were strung out, and exposed to attack in their rush to regroup.

* * *

"...of course, in her mind, this would be a sound strategy, as they would not expect any surprise attacks from the rear or their flanks." The ship commander, of course, constantly kept track of the movements of both the Zerg and the Raiders, and was able to tell what was up. This he relayed to his guests. "However, the two Shadowguards behind her force present an external variable which she couldn't possibly account for, and judging from their movements, they're planning to do exactly what I think they would do."

* * *

Without the aid of a specialized detector Zerg or their Princess of Blades, the roaches were completely unaware of the cloaked operatives right on their backs. Eli and Umi were easily able to keep pace, and were close to point blank range when they stopped and set up their rifles. With their straightforward path, it was easy to take aim at the roaches as they took steady aim at specific points on their targets, where the carapace was thinner.

The antipersonnel rounds flew straight and true, piercing through the targeted roaches' "soft" spots and tearing through the actually soft flesh underneath. Two roaches were stopped in their tracks, and the rest of the pack stopped and turned to their fallen kin, snarling as they looked around for whoever killed the two, but this only gave easier shots for the invisible snipers. Eli and Umi each let off another well-placed shot directly aimed at the roaches' heads, sending two more to their deaths. This served to agitate them even further, and they started to throw around attacks in an attempt to somehow hit their hidden attackers, until they turned around and resumed their previous action.

'It seems like Nico commanded them to ignore us,' Eli observed.

'So it seems,' Umi agreed. 'However, we can still reduce their numbers.' The Shadowguards were on the move once again to catch up with their targets, and spotted them again at a hallway intersection. The roaches went straight ahead, and the two snipers were taking aim when...

'Urubu in the way!' Eli immediately held her fire when a flock of urubu, strange featherless birds native to Protoss worlds, ran out from the left and scattered wildly. Eli and Umi had to move to the side to avoid getting overrun by the panicking birds, and when the creatures passed, the roaches were long gone.

'Honoka, Kotori, heads-up: urubu coming your way.'

'Ahh, we can hear them from here, Eli-chan...' Honoka thought, as she and her squadmates also started to step aside to let the poor things pass. "What were those birds doing here?"

* * *

"Ah...it would take a long time to round them up again..." the commander observed. He hoped that those simple-minded creatures would stay away from the docking bay. He and his crew spent several months across several planets acquiring those, and they weren't even done with their studies on them.

"Back to the task at hand," Maki interrupted. "She's not as completely careless as we'd hoped."

The commander nodded. "She activated the doors of the specimen pens when she sensed that her roaches were under attack, knowing fully that they would pass by that area on their way to the teleporter, and that the specimens would run amok and distract the attackers."

"She is learning quite quickly," Nozomi noted.

"And that's what makes her even more dangerous." He and the Protoss looked back to the security feed around the teleporter pad, where Nico had just finished off the last of the auto turrets defending it. In her wake lay yet another dead marine who stood against her in another futile attempt to delay her speedy advance, and the injuries she inflicted on this one showed her impatience: the marine wasn't able to detach the shield and so lost nearly the arm it was connected to when Nico forcibly tore it off, and there was a bloodstained hole directly on his visor.

Her hydralisks then caught up with her moments later, and her roaches soon afterwards. With her once again taking the lead, the Zerg entered the teleporter and stepped into the next area.

Later on, the Raiders, led by the Shadowguards - 'The Umojans being involved with the revolution was expected, but lending their prized special operations agents to these rebel groups?' the commander noted with some amazement - arrived at the teleporter pad as well, and the covert agents were the first to enter once more. Before the marines followed, they waited for their medics as they took the fallen marine's tag and rifle - an inspection was unnecessary since a single glance at the ravaged marine's corpse told everything they needed to know.

"It's almost time," Nozomi said. "We should make ready for the coming battle, Maki, Rin, Hanayo." The three nodded. Their showdown with the Princess of Blades was at hand, and they had to be ready to stop her. Here and now, before she achieves her goal and become an even bigger threat to the entire sector. The Protoss took a direct route from the bridge to the supercomputer room, accessible only to the highest-ranking officers on the ship, along with whoever they permit.

"Sergeant, forget about delaying the Princess of Blades," the commander ordered as the Protoss left the bridge. "It's become a futile effort. Let the turrets deal with her along the way, but your squad is to head back to the designated rally point, as quickly as possible."

* * *

Several levels below, the marine squad leader breathed a sigh of relief. His belief about the commander actually having common sense was further validated. "Aye aye, sir," he replied. He looked to his men, who were still resting up after the frantic sprint they made to put some distance between them and their pursuer. "Alright, the commander's ordered us to run like hell back to the rally point, so let's get moving."

The marines made it to the next teleporter pad without further incident. Along the way, they reached their armory and quickly restocked on ammunition. They also grabbed a few heavy weapons that they could haul comfortably with them.

* * *

Fortunately for them, Nico couldn't exactly pry open most of the doors on her own without having to spend much of her time and strength, and thus had to wait for her roaches to catch up. The previous ambush by foes they couldn't detect - 'Possibly those Dark Templar,' Nico surmised, 'aiming to reduce their numbers even further to ensure that the odds were comfortably on their side when the final battle came.' - hurt her overall strength even more, but her hydralisks were still in good shape, and nothing else happened after that ambush. As tempted as she was to wait for it to happen again and make her own ambush on the Protoss intruders, she couldn't afford to lose time when her easier opponents were still running scared.

She was tempted to call for reinforcements, but the Swarm was still busy down on the planet, and she figured that they were more needed there than here. She still thought she had enough for the battle ahead.

* * *

After losing the roaches earlier, Eli and Umi decided to pull back a little and revert to their usual roles as forward scouts for their squad. They were certain that Nico was somehow involved in releasing those urubu, and if they repeated their actions earlier, Nico herself might personally respond and engage them, and there was no telling how they would fare against her. It was safer to stick to their established plan.

Once again, the trail of destruction told them where Nico had gone. This time, there were no friendly casualties in their way, but also no signs of a battle. It seemed like everyone involved wanted the final confrontation to come without further delay, and the Raiders picked up their pace.

* * *

 _A/N: Alright, a bit of a slow burn this time. The pace'll quicken again after this engagement, but the next chapter should be the last for this._


	14. Arc 1: Wings of Liberty - Chapter 14

_Science vessel Columbus_

Nico was starting to tire. Her objective was close: at the end of the hallway she was on was the teleporter pad leading to the lowest level of the _Columbus._ All that should be waiting for her would be a few more turrets, since she noticed that the marines have apparently decided against trying to stall her themselves.

'They're regrouping, of course.' Nico understood that much: they were preparing for her, so they'll need all the strength they have left. She should regroup her own forces as well...

Another trio of floor-mounted turrets rose from the ground, followed by a pair of wall-mounted missile launchers, which immediately launched their salvos as Nico rapidly approached. In response, Nico spread her wings and prepared to attack.

'...but not before dealing with these myself. I can't afford to lose any more of my minions before the final battle.' She tore into the emplacements with ease, anxious to complete this mission before Kerrigan finishes with her business down on the planet.

As the new wounds she sustained started healing, she briefly wondered what she would learn from the Ghost Program files. They certainly helped Kerrigan fully unlock her psionic abilities, but it was only because she just needed to remove its restrictions put in place by the ghost conditioning she'd been subjected to.

Then again, Kerrigan had been one of the 'old' ghosts, from the days of the Terran Confederacy, and while there were still things she didn't know, she at least knew that the Confederate ghosts were controlled with different methods. She didn't know what the 'new' Dominion Ghost Program would have, but she'll take any lead she can to fully realize her potential.

She sensed her minions getting closer, and had them form up before entering the teleporter pad. This time she let the roaches take the lead once more, followed by her hydralisks. It would be too risky for her to lead the charge - for all she knew, those marines could be waiting in ambush right around the other side. Once the last of her minions were in, she looked behind her for a brief moment and opened her mouth to speak:

"Follow me to your death, _Templar."_ She then jumped onto the teleporter pad and disappeared.

* * *

The 'brief moment' felt like an eternity for the two Shadowguards trailing her, who held their breath when she looked right in their direction, and whose hearts stopped when she made her chilling declaration. When she disappeared from view, Eli and Umi had to will their hearts to resume beating, and their lungs to resume breathing.

However, their minds were working non-stop. "So, at least she doesn't know what we really are," Eli observed.

"It's still worrisome that, even untrained, she's that sensitive," Umi responded. "If she were to accomplish her objective here and use the information she finds to actually develop her ability...I fear for what would await us in the future."

"Of course, that is why we must stop her," Nozomi, emerging from the shadows once more, said. This time, she had another Dark Templar with her, who was looking uneasy as she trailed behind the Dark Prelate. "This is my apprentice, Hanayo."

"H-Hello..." Even in the dead silence of the room, the two Shadowguards strained to hear the younger Nerazim, which the latter immediately noticed and made her bow down deeply immediately after. "I-I'm sorry!"

For her part, Nozomi sighed, though her expression was soft and motherly as she patted Hanayo's head. "She is quite a handful, as you Terrans would say. However, she is also my best student."

"T-That's..."

"Cute!" From the entrance to the teleporter room came the rest of the Raiders, and while the marines looked relieved that this Protoss encounter was not a hostile one, the two medics looked absolutely excited. Particularly about the apprentice Templar, who visibly flinched upon hearing Honoka and Kotori. The two of them immediately went beside Hanayo and proceeded to hug and pet her while their object of affection froze in shock, before letting out a distressed cry:

 _"Someone save me!"_

"Honoka, Kotori." Umi's voice rung out shortly afterwards, and the two medics paused their actions to look at the younger Shadowguard, who looked very stern.

"Umi-chan!" Honoka responded, extending a hand towards Umi. "You want to join us? She's so soft and cuddly!" Kotori nodded in total agreement and also raised her hand towards Umi.

Umi instead stepped forward and landed a light chop onto Honoka's head. "Have you no shame, you two?" She then grabbed both medics by the hand and pulled them away from Hanayo.

"Ahaha..." Eli laughed sheepishly as she, Nozomi, and the rest of the squad watched the spectacle run its course. The marines were particularly amused by the current turn of events, seeing as how even the Protoss were like that. And how their medics acted so innocently that the marines felt a little bad that the two had to be dragged into this war.

After a brief lecture from Umi about what they've done, Honoka and Kotori were ordered to apologize. "We're sorry for jumping onto you so suddenly, Hanayo-chan," Honoka said, bowing deeply.

"We weren't able to control ourselves..." Kotori, also bowed down, followed.

"I-It's fine," Hanayo meekly replied. "I was just surprised because it was all so sudden, that's all..." Her voice dropped to a near-whisper "...also because nobody called me c-cute before..."

"Awww, Hanayo-chan, you _are_ cute!" Honoka and Kotori were tempted to smother Hanayo with cuddles...but Umi was standing beside them.

"Please, Hanayo, do not encourage them." Umi sighed, before her lips relaxed to form a gentle smile.

''Though I do agree with their sentiments' is what you want to say next, don't you?' Eli teased mentally before the thought even completed in Umi's mind, and the latter's cheeks flared up.

'Eli!'

"I suppose we are all acquainted properly now," Nozomi interjected, having a small chuckle of her own. "Now then, back to our objective." The mood almost immediately became serious. "The forces of this ship are already in prepared defensive positions. Once my fellow Templar give the signal, we shall pour in all of our might to destroy the Princess of Blades."

Even as she said those words and received determined agreement from the gathered group, Nozomi felt a small pang of uncertainty within her, as if their plans should not be so. And from looking at the eyes of the four female Terrans, it seems like she was not the only one with such thoughts.

'However, if fate does will it, then it will see fit to intervene at the proper time.' For the meantime, their current mission still stands. The safety of their home worlds - of both Terran and Protoss - depends on it.

* * *

"Here it is," Nico breathed to herself. The final stretch of hallway before her leads directly to the supercomputer room. All that stands before her are the rest of the Terran guards, and the Protoss assassins...

...which she was sensing among the Terrans beyond her.

Have the Terrans and Protoss finally decided to fight her together? And how did they slip past her without her knowledge? Troubled times in the past have proven that the former could more than likely happen, while the latter should have been impossible unless they knew of other ways to get around the ship.

'Then again, if this ship's crew and the Protoss did team up, then it's likely that the Protoss would have been given that information.' However, something still seemed off. Her sensitivity still wasn't anywhere near high enough, but she was able to tell that the psionic presence further down the hallway were clearly not of the Dark Templar she'd encountered; _their_ presence had disappeared. Which means there's actually more Protoss for her to contend with in the final battle, and all of them are cooperating with the Terran soldiers... '...have I fallen into a trap?'

Her response to her own question, however, was a savage grin. 'They will all know my wrath, then.' This would be her ultimate test. She will _not_ fail. Her minions felt her ferocity as they began the march forward, with the roaches leading the way and the hydralisks moving right behind.

There were now pairs of gun and missile turrets appearing to engage every few meters of the way, but Nico's minions had become an extension of her will, and mere glances were all she needed to direct the deadly-accurate fire of her hydralisks before any of the turrets fired a shot.

"Stand aside, fools!" Nico taunted loudly as she approached the last door. "Or be swept forcefully."

The door opened, and from within the room behind it came its occupants' replies: violent flashes of flame, followed by the hypersonic 8mm spikes that emerged from them. Immediately, the roaches closed ranks, and took the brunt of the volley harmlessly. The hydralisks, meanwhile, retaliated with precise shots of their own needle spines towards the source of the gunfire, and the attack immediately died down.

"Hmph, too easy-" Before Nico could finish gloating, the enemy assault resumed, and the hailstorm of bullets were aimed low this time, in an attempt to hit the roaches in their only frontal weak spot. Several roaches started to fall from the directed gunfire, and the rest lowered their massive claws to shield their faces, slowing their already-sluggish advance.

Then, from the darkness, three pairs of psi blades ignited. Before Nico could react to the new threat, Rin and her hallucination clones, courtesy of Maki, charged forward with blinding speed.

Nico had no way of knowing that the other two were fakes, but even when the zealots came close enough for her to be able to tell, she could not stop herself or her minions from reacting to them, as the trio crashed into the Zerg formation with seemingly-reckless abandon. However, the impact was both planned and controlled, with the zealot Praetor's plasma shield absorbing most of it and redirecting that force towards her impact target instead, staggering the hapless roach and opening its face up to her psi blades. The roach stood no chance, and Rin was already heading towards another without slowing her momentum.

Through it all, the marines behind her continued their ranged assault, and while they were careful not to hit her, Rin was proving that the extra caution wasn't necessary as she fluidly danced around with psi-blades out, dodging the marines' bullets and slashing the Zerg like an untouchable dervish of death. Her movements made her easy to distinguish from the hallucination clones which attacked directly and without finesse, like normal zealots - not that it mattered to the suddenly-overwhelmed Zerg, who continued to guard and react to the hallucinations as if they were real Protoss and not harmless, ethereal clones. Maki employed the same technique earlier with the marines, which had the effect of drawing out the Zerg and forcing them into their defensive position - and which the real marines already knew how to deal with.

After a while, though, the hallucinations were spent, and, after realizing their folly, the now-undistracted Zerg directed their fury towards Rin. The plasma shield pulsed as needle spines and acid saliva made contact, though Rin continued her assault, fully confident of the marines and the High Templar behind her - the latter having yet to show her full might.

Maki decided that now was the time. As Rin's shield started to break, Maki's eyes and "hair" glowed bright red, and several bolts of psionic lightning arced from her fingertips towards the Zerg formation. Once again demonstrating Rin's fleet footwork and flexibility - as well as Maki's psionic mastery, and the power of the shared psionic link of the Khala - Rin continued her assault as the bolts converged into a massive psionic storm that sundered everything in the area except for her, who gracefully danced with the psionic lightning even as she slashed left and right. Even the marines' bullets were spared from vaporization as they entered the storm and found their targets; the Zerg's now-charred skin made it easier for the hypersonic spikes to penetrate through to the even softer innards.

When Maki's psionic assault ended, Rin leapt back to inspect the damage: only a few of the roaches survived, and even some of the hydralisks sustained wounds. Nico managed to leap away from the storm with a handful of her hydralisks, but the sight of the rest of her minions being reduced to burning husks horrified and enraged her, and the pink glow in her eyes blazed much brighter, and even showed in the eyes of her remaining forces.

However, as she and her minions started to throw herself towards the Terran and Protoss force, two hydralisks fell forward, with smoking holes at the back of their heads. Nico turned around to see...

"Nico!" a voice called out from behind. She turned around to see another force of Terrans, apparently led by two snipers wearing the familiar skintight hostile environment suits of the products of the very program which she sought the files of.

"So you know her?" Nozomi, revealing herself beside Eli, asked. Hanayo also did so, beside Umi.

"We do," Honoka replied for Eli. "She is...one of ours."

"We know her because we were tasked to find and escort her to a new home," Umi added, on behalf of her and Eli. "Where she was supposed to be properly trained."

"...Honoka?" Nico, apparently recognizing the medic's voice, said.

"Nico-chan, you remember us?" Kotori asked, eyes suddenly full of hope.

"I...do..." Nico looked beyond the ghosts and the Dark Templar towards the medics surrounded by the marine squadron, with sadness in her eyes and smile. "I guess we might not be able to have that collab, huh...?"

"We still can, Nico-chan!" Honoka responded, already starting to tear up in relief and breaking from the formation with Kotori to approach the Princess of Blades. "We'll even have two new singers joining us!"

"Honoka, Kotori," Umi warned, mainly about the former exposing that side of her and Eli, but also out of caution. The surrounding hydralisks might not be attacking, but still looked at them with hostility.

"We promised that we'd bring you home, Nico-chan. We promised that we'll keep fighting to be free from the Dominion, and that we'll sing on stage together after we do that."

"And no matter how you may look now," Kotori added, "you're still the cutest idol that we know. We even found a cure that might help you turn back to normal! And if it doesn't work, we'll just keep working and working to figure out what will."

"So," Honoka started to conclude, extending an arm along with Kotori towards Nico. "Are you ready to come home, Nico-chan?"

From the other side, Rin and Maki felt the sickening heartbreak that the two Terran medics experienced from what followed: Nico started to take the offered hands, but then stopped, and withdrew them just as the other two reached out. She then laughed. Loudly, and evilly. "I'm sorry, you two...is what I would say, except I'm not." Nico's eyes ignited again, and the tips of her claws also started glowing. "I don't care about that old life anymore. I like what I am right now. I feel capable of so much more than I used to. I am in command of more power than I ever did before. I feel much more alive.

"And I will _never_ come back. I am Zerg now. I am the Princess of Blades." Honoka and Kotori were petrified with fear as Nico seemed to slowly close in on the two medics. "And I will not be stopped from fully realizing my power. I will show you all how much I am capable of." She directed an intense gaze towards Nozomi and Hanayo. "Watch closely, Dark Templar, and you will see why it was a mistake to stand against me again." Suddenly, she explosively leapt over the two medics, who were knocked to the ground by the wave of force that Nico's jump generated. Nico then landed _behind_ the Shadowguards and Dark Templar and into the center of the Raiders' marine squad. Those unlucky enough to be at the center were immediately crushed by Nico's impact and impaled by her claws, while the rest fell back from her and tried to engage as she leapt from marine to marine and eviscerated them.

The two medics finally woke up from their shock and started to go back to the marines to assist them in their fight, but some of the hydralisks - empowered and enraged by their Princess of Blades' fury - barred their path and prepared to impale the two with their scythe-like claws. Frozen with fear, Honoka and Kotori watched as death slowly loomed over them...

...just before dark smoke appeared between the medics and the hydralisks. The Dark Templar rematerialized, with Nozomi holding back the hydralisks' claws with her double-headed shadow scythe and Hanayo frantically helping the medics back up.

"Are you two okay?" Hanayo asked. The two nodded wordlessly, and Hanayo returned to her mentor's side once the two were able to stand on their own, her own warp blade now ignited.

"Ready, Hanayo? Nozomi asked. Hanayo nodded, and the elder Dark Templar swung her scythe around, forcing the two hydralisks back. One hydralisk snarled at Nozomi and launched a needle spine at her, but she became smoke once again and completely dodged the attack, reappearing in an instant in front of the hydralisk. Before it could even raise its claws for a counterattack, Nozomi swung the scythe in a downward stroke, and the warp blade at the end buried itself with little resistance into the hydralisk's head, killing it instantly. The other hydralisk beside it prepared to retaliate to Nozomi's attack, but Hanayo arrived just in time to run her emerald warp blade through its back.

"I-It's down!"

Without missing a beat, Nozomi leapt into the shadows once more, reappearing behind the remaining hydralisks one by one and striking them down in quick succession, and then appeared before the Princess of Blades as she started to strike down another Raiders marine, intercepting the blow with her scythe.

What followed was a flurry of missed blows and parried swings, as Nico and Nozomi attempted to land a hit on each other. Nozomi's polished and expert movements - the product of decades of martial training - were impressive and would have taken down any lesser warrior with ease, but Nico's wild ferocity - guided by instincts provided by the genes of the most ruthless Zerg strains integrated into her - made it an even match between them.

A minute of fierce fighting later, Nozomi and Nico broke away from each other and started circling each other, each of them anticipating the next move of the other. Nozomi then took the initiative and dashed forward, and Nico prepared to meet the downward strike almost immediately after. It was a feint, however, and instead of the slice that Nico was anticipating, Nozomi pushed her away with the blunt tip of the scythe and sent her stumbling towards Rin, who then hacked off the wings of the Princess of Blades, and the latter let out a sharp cry of pain as her wings fell to the floor with a sickening thud.

Nico fell to her knees, and even as her wings slowly started regenerating, she knew that she bit off too much. Maki and the rest of the security troops approached, the latter with weapons constantly trained towards her, and surrounded Nico. The High Templar then ignited a small psi blade and aimed it at Nico's throat.

"So, this is the end of the line for you," she said. "And I am sure that you know why." Nico could think of no reply, though she knew perfectly what the Protoss was talking about.

"Wait!" From the distance, Honoka and Kotori ran up towards them.

"Can we talk to her first, please?" Honoka begged. Kotori pleaded to the Protoss with her eyes.

"Are you still seriously thinking that this...infestation of hers can still be reversed?" Maki fired back coldly. "Do you think she'll really even want to? Even after what she has told you two just earlier?" Nozomi put her hand on the High Templar's shoulder.

"Maki," Nozomi said with a contemplative voice. "Let them speak their case." Maki was hesitant, but finally relented, and withdrew her blade.

"You two..." Nico finally spoke again, before Honoka put a finger on her lips.

"Do you still remember?" Honoka asked. "That dusty afternoon, a week before the revolution."

Nico closed her eyes. "...I remember everything, Honoka. How I complained about the broken AC unit at the bar. How Kotori kept saying sorry for it. How you were so carefree regardless." Nico then opened her eyes and looked into Honoka's, and the medic thought she saw a glimpse of the 'old' Nico coming back within. "How we all started planning for after the revolution, that we'd celebrate Mar Sara's liberation with a huge concert, before moving to other planets, and then to Korhal itself. We wanted to free everyone, and open up a path to a better future...and shine together." Nico then looked down and sighed. "I'm sorry that things had to turn out this way...I really am, this time." She locked eyes with Kotori, then with Honoka again. Her eyes slowly started glowing pink. "Which is why I want you two to stay out of my way forever."

The other psionics were already sensing the danger, and Eli and Umi started to reach out to the medics to pull them away. The rest were warned by the blaring klaxons on the ship, and then by the ship commander's alarmed voice:

"A _massive_ Zerg bio-signature is heading towards our ship at high speed. Evacuate _immediately!"_

Nico closed her eyes and leapt past the suddenly-confused Dominion marines and Maki, already sprinting towards the supercomputer room they were supposed to be guarding.

"This is for the best. Stay out of my way, or you _will_ be hurt. If you survive this."

Before the defenders could react to her, however, a massive tendril pierced through the wall, barring the way between them and Nico. The tentacle then retracted until it secured itself onto the wall, revealing its gaping mouth. From within, all of them heard the unmistakable sound of a horde of Zerg.

"Everyone, get out!" Eli commanded. Afterwards, she contacted the _Hyperion,_ requesting for immediate and very hot evac. The ship commander and his crew linked up with them afterwards, and the combined Terran and Protoss force made a mad dash for the docking bay as more of the massive leviathan's tentacles crashed in from the walls, and even more Zerg poured in.

They finally reached the docking bay, but the dropships Eli requested were still minutes away. The combined force was at least more than capable of holding off the Zerg, but the latter continued to stream in with seemingly-endless numbers. Maki was almost spent from casting storm after psionic storm, as well as creating hallucinations of Rin to bear the brunt of the Zerg frontline, while the marines were running out of ammunition.

"Heard you ladies and gents needed evac!" the very welcome voice of the dropship captain hailed through Eli's communicator, and the special operations dropship came into view, backed by two G-226 medical evacuation (or medivac) dropships given by the Moebius Foundation to help with the Raiders' mission on the planet.

"Let's go, everyone onto the dropships!" Eli commanded. "That means you as well, Protoss."

"Do not worry, we have our own transport," Nozomi assured. The ship in question was actually floating close to the docking bay, safely cloaked, and Nozomi disappeared in a blink of an eye. The Spiritual Power then decloaked itself and went close to the bay, extending a ramp for Maki, Rin and Hanayo to enter. As they left, they sensed a very powerful psionic presence enter the now-forsaken vessel.

* * *

The small fleet of ships then rapidly set course for the Hyperion, thankfully able to scramble away before Zerg fliers emerged from the beast. As the ships edged away from the battle, so did its tensions start to bleed out from the combatants.

The two medics were noticeably downcast, and everyone noticed, especially the marines: usually, the two would be the ones lightening the mood after a combat operation, whether it was a success or a failure - and it certainly was the latter, in this case. The target that they were supposed to stop achieved her objective, and they were certain that Nico would emerge even stronger, and become a more dire threat to all.

Moreover, it felt like a personal failure for both Honoka and Kotori: they couldn't save Nico. They aren't sure if they ever could. The promises they made...to themselves, to her mother, to _everyone_...felt hollow. As they continued to brood over it, tears of anguish slowly fell from their eyes. The two Shadowguards, without another word, surrounded them in a tight embrace. Within their warmth, the medics cried.

Over on the _Spiritual Power,_ the mood was also dark. Each of them contemplated on their own what had happened. Rin's usual radiant energy was absent, as she felt the burden of failure personally as the leader of the expedition. Perhaps if she called for the Armada after all, as she had promised to do...

Maki also felt hollow, as it was _her_ plan that failed. It didn't matter that they performed admirably given the odds: _she_ was also the one who decided for all of them that the fleet was unnecessary - never mind that her decision ultimately saved the fledgling Armada, since, had Rin decided to summon the fleet, they could have lost everything to the Swarm. The Armada wasn't ready, but their best chance of ending the new threat...

Hanayo was saddened by the turn of events, and she especially felt for the two Terran medics who started to become new friends, feeling the two's anguish though they were apart. She felt their joy when the Princess of Blades seemed to have a change of heart, and felt their sorrow when the two were not only rejected, but almost killed by the person they tried to save.

Nozomi, on the other hand, had mixed emotions about the ordeal which roiled up within her as she absently piloted her ship towards the Terran capital ship. The mission was not yet a total failure, but what they had earlier was their best chance, and they lost it. 'Is this Fate's intervention, then?' She didn't know. But did Fate really see it fit to let the Princess of Blades not only live, but become even more dangerous? And yet, Nozomi saw that there was still something lingering within Nico when she decided to spare Honoka and Kotori.

'So, what next?' That was the question lingering within everyone's minds. For the Protoss, the mission was far from over: though they could come back and report what had happened, they knew that they would only be sent back, with a much larger force. For the Terrans, they still had their own war to fight, though they were certain that they'd cross paths with the Princess of Blades again.

Horner noted the presence of the Protoss starship as it and the dropships started to approach the _Hyperion's_ launch bay. Once the vessels have safely landed, the bay closed immediately.

"Everyone brace for warp jump," Horner warned. Seconds later, the Hyperion's warp drive activated, and the Raiders flagship was zooming towards a moon in the distant Mackan system - both to escape the Zerg, and to rendezvous with a group Raynor had sent there on a mission before heading to Tyrador VIII.

* * *

Back on the _Columbus,_ the Princess of Blades looked around the room which she sought after. All around were facilities and equipment specially designed to service the mysterious Terran Ghosts during their precious downtimes on the field, and right in the middle was the supercomputer she sacrificed her minions to reach, still functioning throughout the chaos it has unknowingly sown - Kerrigan was careful not to destroy the power generators, and even her leviathan's penetrating tendrils were meant to stabilize the ship.

Standing beside her was the Queen of Blades herself, who observed her. "Well?"

Wordlessly, Nico approached the supercomputer, and started looking for the files she wanted. She knew that they won't stay for long, so she transferred all of the files onto a data drive. She'll pore over the information at another time, since the ship won't last much longer. More importantly, she didn't want to waste Kerrigan's time further, not after forcing her to come to her aid after she underestimated her enemies - 'No,' she thought, 'I overestimated my own ability.'

"Kid, I could remember when I made the same mistake as you," Kerrigan told Nico, seeing the look on her face, and remembering herself making almost the same one long ago. "I got cocky and let my pride get in the way of my mission. I suppose it worked out in the long run, but at the time, my pride cost the Swarm an entire brood. Compared to that, your mistake is a drop in the bucket. Still, I suppose you've learned that lesson well enough. Remember it."

"I will."

"Now, I'm sure you'll want to study those files. I have just the place for you." Kerrigan told Nico of her and 'her' swarm's next objective, and, a few minutes later, the Zerg left the _Columbus,_ now a ruined husk of its former self. As a parting gift, Kerrigan also left a baneling in the generator core, which she told to lie in wait for a Terran salvage team to come aboard before doing what it was bred to do.

* * *

 _A/N: Hey, so, it's been a very long time. A little over two months since the last update, was it? I suppose I've been busy with real-life commitments, among other things, so I've barely found time to write. But I won't give up on this - I'll just need more time._

 _Anyway, that's that for this fight on the_ Columbus. _The next chapters will pick up the pace and see us across the other parts of the sector, and our Protoss friends won't be around for much longer. But they'll come back. When? Who knows? I haven't thought that far yet._


End file.
